A major new report has revealed that the planet could be on the edge of an irreversible climate disaster, with concerns that some damage is already baked in and cannot be turned around.

The leaked report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) tells of a future where heatwaves are the norm, ecosystems break down and thousands of different animal species become extinct. The 4,000 page report which has been obtained by Agence France-Presse also predicts more disease globally, a worrying thought in the wake of the ongoing pandemic.

While the report was not due to be published until early next year, the concern is very real, with scientists suggesting that even though governments are making moves to halt climate change ‘current levels of adaptation will be inadequate’. One of the biggest warnings in the IPCC report concerns the prospect of ‘tipping points’ or ‘temperature trip wires’ which could set off a series of devastating consequences for the planet. Based on current best-case scenario predictions, the planet will be 3C warmer by 2100, with a rise of 2C melting Greenland and the most of Antarctica, which would raise see levels by 13 metres. The Amazon is of particular focus as some predictions suggest that it has already flipped and now emits more carbon pollution than it stores, a scenario which could soon see it turned into a desert.

“Life on Earth can recover from a drastic climate shift by evolving into new species and creating new ecosystems,” the report says. “Humans cannot.”

Speaking in the Guardian following the leaked report hitting the headlines, Simon Lewis, professor of global change science at University College London said: “Nothing in the IPCC report should be a surprise, as all the information comes from the scientific literature. But put together, the stark message from the IPCC is that increasingly severe heatwaves, fires, floods and droughts are coming our way with dire impacts for many countries. On top of this are some irreversible changes, often called tipping points, such as where high temperatures and droughts mean parts of the Amazon rainforest can’t persist. These tipping points may then link, like toppling dominoes.”