{Earths Vital Signs Endangered – Earth and Leaf editorial} {extract below} A growing number of the planet’s “vital signs” have reached record levels due to climate change and other environmental threats, according to a stark report by a group of prominent researchers. “We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster,” writes William Ripple at Oregon State University and his colleagues. “This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperilled.” The report is the fifth annual State of the Climate report led by Ripple in an effort to present a clear warning of what the researchers say is a…