CAMPAIGNERS condemned the government for wearing “fossil fuel-sponsored ear defenders” after a landmark report by leading climate scientists warned that the planet is on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster.

The 2024 State of the Climate Report tracked 35 of the planet’s “vital signs” used to track climate change, and found that 25 of them, including CO2 levels, have hit record extremes. 

It found that surface temperature had reached an all-time high, with global daily mean temperatures at record levels for nearly half of 2023 and much of 2024.

Ocean temperatures were also found to be at record extremes, while increasing sea level rises have the “potential to displace hundreds of millions” over the course of the century. 

Rising temperatures are linked to greenhouse gas emissions, of which fossil fuels are the primary contributor.

The report found that emissions from the sector have reached their highest, while fossil fuel consumption jumped by 1.5 per cent last year. 

In 2022, global fossil fuel subsidies soared to $1.1 trillion (£841bn) — the largest amount to date.

William Ripple, a professor at Oregon State University who co-led the report, warned: “Climate change has already displaced millions of people, with the potential to displace hundreds of millions or even billions. 

“That would likely lead to greater geopolitical instability, possibly even partial societal collapse.”

The report said that the world had made little headway on climate change, partly due to “stiff resistance” from those benefiting financially from fossil-fuels.

“We recognise the profound urgency of addressing this global challenge, especially the horrific outlook for the world’s poor,” it said.

It urged for rapidly phasing out fossil fuels to be made a “top priority,” through a “high global carbon price” to restrain emissions by the wealthy, and providing funding for climate mitigation and adaptation programmes. 

It also called for the reforming of food production systems to support more plant-based eating, and education to improve climate literacy.

Scientist and Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Charlie Gardner said: “It is clear that the government is utterly misaligned with the science by jailing the ordinary people that are raising the alarm while the fossil fuel executives and bankers that have fuelled the crisis not only walk free but get VIP access to government.

“We need a just transition overseen by a citizens’ assembly in a framework of updated targets that are aligned with the Paris Agreement so we can bridge the political divide and make sure action is fair and free from the curse of lobbying.”

In Britain, activists have been increasingly punished for raising the alarm on climate issues. In July, five Just Stop Oil activists were  jailed for a total of 21 years for co-ordinating a peaceful action to press the government to halt new oil and gas licences.

Activists accused of criminal damage have been stripped of their ability to rely on beliefs and motivation as a defence, and prevented from talking about climate change in court.

A spokesperson from Just Stop Oil said the report is “the scientific equivalent of an air-raid warning,” yet “political leaders are wearing fossil fuel-sponsored ear defenders.” 

“While the scientific community agrees that rapidly phasing down fossil fuel use should be a top priority, Ed Miliband wants to continue handing billions in public money to the carbon death industry. 

“He may call it pragmatism, we call it criminal.”

A Global Witness analysis published a month after Labour took power found that new MPs had already received £45,000 in donations from oil and gas lobbyists. 

Mr Miliband has announced that the government will spend £22bn on carbon capture storage (CCS) projects despite climate scientists warning technology is “unproven.”

Transparency records show that fossil fuel giants Equinor, BP, and ExxonMobil attended over half of the meetings discussing CCS in 2023.

Today, the latest edition of the Living Planet Index compiled by the Zoological Society of London and WWF warned that  global wildlife populations have fallen by nearly three quarters in 50 years.

It found that  Latin America and the Caribbean had seen the fastest declines, with  average wildlife populations dropping 95 per cent in 50 years.

Conservationists warned that habitat destruction for food production is compounded by climate change, and urged the transformation of food production, energy and finance systems. 

WWF chief scientific adviser Mike Barrett said: “It’s not just the Living Planet Index, all globally recognised indicators tell exactly the same stories, whether we’re talking about population abundance, about species diversity, extinction rates, or the extent and intactness of natural habitats, these all tell us that nature is in free fall.”