The last quarter of 2024 presented us with a devastating sequence of scientific news that together paint an alarming picture of the health of our planet.

In September, scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research brought a shocking revelation. Seven of the nine planetary boundaries fundamental to the survival of life as we know it have already been crossed: unbridled land use is destroying natural habitats; climate change is dangerously raising global temperatures; biodiversity is collapsing at an unprecedented rate; nitrogen and phosphorus cycles are out of balance; fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce; and chemical pollution, including microplastics, is contaminating every corner of the planet. Only the ozone layer and atmospheric aerosols still maintain some stability.

And the picture gets bleaker. WWF's Living Planet Report 2024 has given us another devastating diagnosis: in just 50 years, we have lost 73% of monitored wildlife populations. It's as if, in just half a century, three quarters of all wild animals have disappeared from our forests, rivers and oceans. Freshwater ecosystems have been hit hardest, with a shocking 85% reduction in their populations.

The situation of trees, which are fundamental to maintaining life on Earth, turned out to be even more critical than imagined. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has presented a complete assessment of the world's trees, and the figures are terrifying: of the 47,282 species assessed, at least 16,425 are at risk of extinction. To measure the seriousness of this finding, the number of threatened trees is more than double the sum of all threatened species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined. In 192 countries, practically all over the planet, there are tree species on the verge of disappearing.

This is not just an abstract number. Each tree species we lose represents a crucial broken link in the chain of life. Trees are the true architects of our ecosystems: they produce oxygen, regulate the climate, provide shelter and food for countless species, and help prevent natural disasters. But the pace of destruction still far outstrips conservation efforts.

To add to this gloomy scenario, the World Meteorological Organization announced that greenhouse gas concentrations reached a new record in 2023. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased by 11.4% in just 20 years, reaching levels 151% higher than in the pre-industrial era.

While the warning signs are multiplying, the responses from world leaders still fall short of the urgency required. The Conferences of the Parties (COPs), both on climate and biodiversity, have become annual rituals of empty promises and unfulfilled commitments. Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, the emission reduction targets set by countries remain insufficient to curb global warming by 1.5°C, and even these modest targets are not being met.

The paralysis of world leaders has a devastating cost. Every year of delay in effective action means more species extinct, more ecosystems destroyed and more proximity to climate points of no return. So is it still possible to postpone the end of the world? The answer is in our hands, but time is running out fast.

These four pieces of news together are not isolated scientific data - they are a cry for help from the planet. We need immediate and drastic action to reverse this situation: a complete transformation of our production and consumption systems, rigorous protection of the remaining ecosystems, and a real global commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The next COPs can no longer be a stage for empty speeches - they need to be milestones for real change, with verifiable commitments and consequences for non-compliance. The question is no longer whether we should act, but with what urgency and intensity we will respond to this desperate call for help from the world.

Ima Vieira is agronomist, PhD in Ecology from the University of Stirling (UK), researcher at Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, advisor at Studies and Projects Financier (FINEP).