Alarming study: Humanity has entered a "new climate reality"

Humanity is on the verge of a "new reality" driven by climate change, warns a landmark international study cited by AFP. Researchers say coral reefs have almost certainly reached a catastrophic tipping point, a sign that the planet is going through a critical phase in its ecological history. The team, made up of about 160 scientists, analyzed the health of global ecosystems and identified a series of "tipping points" that could trigger a chain reaction of natural disasters, often irreversible. "We are almost certain that we have already crossed the critical threshold in the case of tropical coral reefs," said Tim Lenton, an environmental scientist at the University of Exeter, UK, and the lead researcher on the study.

With global temperatures rising by 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, coral reefs are facing unprecedented levels of degradation, directly affecting the lives of hundreds of millions of people and putting a million marine species at risk, researchers say. The past two years have seen "unprecedented” coral mortality caused by massive bleaching events - a phenomenon in which corals lose their vibrant colors and ability to feed due to overheating of the waters.

• "We're in a danger zone”

As the oceans warm, corals expel the symbiotic microorganisms that provide them with vital energy, leaving behind only empty structures that become colonized by algae and eventually disintegrate. Researchers estimate that once global temperatures exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold - the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement - the fate of reefs will be "sealed.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently warned that this threshold is "on the verge of being exceeded,” which would throw humanity "into an even greater danger zone.”

• Alarms ringing ahead of COP30

The study's release coincides with the pre-UN Climate Conference (COP30), which will take place next month in the Brazilian city of Belem. The researchers hope the data presented will spur "immediate and unprecedented” action by political leaders. "We are rapidly approaching multiple planetary tipping points that could irreversibly transform the planet,” Lenton warned. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the study's authors also note some encouraging developments. Areas such as solar and wind energy have already reached a positive turning point, becoming globally competitive and affordable.

The market for electric vehicles, storage batteries and heat pumps is also growing rapidly, while emerging technologies such as hydrogen and green ammonia look promising. "These transformations show us that even positive change can become irreversible - if we act now,” Lenton concluded.