\n Published on
\n 01\/12\/2025 – 16:12 GMT+1\n <\/p>\n
Hundreds of scientists have signed an urgent declaration calling on world leaders and policymakers to \u201cact now and act fast\u201d on climate change. <\/p>\n
The Dartington Declaration argues humanity will be pushed into the \u201cdanger zone\u201d if greenhouse gas emissions aren\u2019t halved by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, and then reach net zero by 2050.<\/p>\n
Co-ordinated by the University of Exeter and WWF UK, the declaration follows the Global Tipping Points Report 2025, which recently warned Earth had reached its first catastrophic climate tipping point due to the \u201cunprecedented dieback\u201d of coral reefs.<\/p>\n
So far, it has been backed by 583 scientists and 579 other supporters who all have a PhD or higher qualifications.<\/p>\n
\u2018The planet\u2019s future hangs in the balance\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we wait, it will be too late,\u201d the declaration reads. \u201cPolicy and civil society must pull together to prevent further damaging tipping points <\/a>and seize the opportunities of positive tipping points. <\/p>\n \u201cThe planet\u2019s future hangs in the balance. Which way it tips is down to our actions now and in the years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The declaration calls for an \u201cunprecedented\u201d cut to global greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>, a move that would prove impossible without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.<\/p>\n According to the UN, fossil fuels are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for around 68 per cent of the world\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions and almost 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions. <\/p>\n Chances of a fossil fuel-free future were delayed at COP30<\/a> last month, when the final deal omitted discussions of a phaseout roadmap. However, more ambitious countries seem to be pushing the quest for a fossil fuel phaseout roadmap outside of the COP process<\/a>.<\/p>\n Carbon sinks<\/p>\n The declaration also calls for fast scaling of sustainable carbon removal <\/a>from the atmosphere by protecting and restoring natural carbon sinks such as forests.<\/p>\n If carbon sources become degraded or deforested, they can actually release stored carbon back into the atmosphere. This has already occurred in parts of the Amazon rainforest<\/a>, once referred to as the Earth\u2019s lungs, as well as many forests in Africa and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n