Seven of 16 indicators of Earth's climate are at record extremes, an international team reported on October 14 in BioScience. The seventh annual assessment, led by Oregon State University researchers, warns of increasing instability while identifying gains in clean energy.
The report tracks greenhouse gases, temperature, oceans, ice, energy balance and wildfires. Its authors say fossil fuel burning remains a main driver of change. Several trends are accelerating or shifting abruptly, increasing concern about feedbacks and potentially irreversible tipping points.
According to the assessment, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide concentrations reached records in 2026 year-to-date averages. Carbon dioxide exceeded 428 parts per million in May, about 50% above pre-industrial levels. Glacier thickness and Greenland ice mass were at record lows; preliminary data put ocean heat content and sea level at record highs.
The researchers also report that fossil fuel consumption rose 0.9% in 2025 and annual energy-related carbon dioxide emissions exceeded 41 billion tonnes for the first time. Yet low-carbon sources supplied roughly 43% of global electricity that year. Expanding renewable power has not yet displaced fossil fuel use as total energy demand grows.
Oregon State says communities with the smallest historical emissions, especially in the Global South and small island states, face disproportionately severe consequences. The authors describe risks that connect climate change with biodiversity loss, freshwater shortages and food insecurity, affecting people and ecosystems together.
Co-lead author William Ripple says emissions cuts must accompany adaptation and ecosystem protection. The university lists urban cooling, wetland restoration, wildfire preparedness and water conservation among the responses. The report presents clean-energy and storage advances as opportunities, while stressing that action remains too slow to stabilize the climate.
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