video:

Facing The New Reality - Climate Week NYC Opening Ceremony

as of 2023 and featuring Rose M. Mutiso, Naomi Oreskes, Emily Shuckburgh, and Petteri Taalas.

summary: "...a critical juncture in human history, where the grim reality of climate change is impacting everyone...we can forge a path towards a resilient world for all."

research:

Scientists’ Warning on Population

as of 2022 and written by Eileen Crist, William J. Ripple, Paul R. Ehrlich, William E. Rees, and Christopher Wolf and edited by Pavlos Kassomenos.

abstract: “humanity must commit to transformative change on all levels in order to address the climate emergency and biodiversity collapse. in particular, stabilizing and ultimately reducing the human population size is necessary to ensure the long-term wellbeing of our species and other life on Earth. we show how this transition can be accomplished in an equitable framework that promotes human rights.“

World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency

as of 2019 and written by William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas, S M. Newsome, Phoebe Barnard, William R. Moomaw, and 11,258 scientist signatories from 153 countries. 

excerpts: "scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and to “tell it like it is.” ...especially worrisome are potential irreversible climate tipping points and nature’s reinforcing feedbacks (atmospheric, marine, and terrestrial) that could lead to a catastrophic “hothouse Earth." ...these climate chain reactions could cause significant disruptions to ecosystems, society, and economies, potentially making large areas of Earth uninhabitable. ...therefore, we need bold and drastic transformations regarding economic and population policies. 

The Global Tree Restoration Potential

as of 2019 and written by Jean-Francois Bastin, Yelena Finegold, Claude Garcia, Danilo Mollicone, Marcelo Rezende, Devin Routh, Constantin M. Zohner, and Thomas W. Crowther.

abstract: “the restoration of trees remains among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation. we mapped the global potential tree coverage to show that 4.4 billion hectares of canopy cover could exist under the current climate. excluding existing trees and agricultural and urban areas, we found that there is room for an extra 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover, which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in areas that would naturally support woodlands and forests. this highlights global tree restoration as one of the most effective carbon drawdown solutions to date. however, climate change will alter this potential tree coverage. we estimate that if we cannot deviate from the current trajectory, the global potential canopy cover may shrink by ~223 million hectares by 2050, with the vast majority of losses occurring in the tropics. our results highlight the opportunity of climate change mitigation through global tree restoration but also the urgent need for action.“

Optimum Human Population Size

as of 1994 and written by Gretchen C. Daily, Anne H. Ehrlich, and Paul R. Ehrlich.

excerpt: “although the tremendous size and rate of growth of the human population now influence virtually every aspect of society, rarely does the public debate, or even consider, the question of what would be an optimum number of human being to live on Earth at any given time?”