Humanity Faces Unprecedented Risk from Climate Tipping Points, Warn Researchers
Paris: Researchers have issued a warning that humanity is facing an “unprecedented” risk from tipping points that could trigger irreversible catastrophes across the planet. This announcement comes as leaders gather for UN climate talks in Dubai, with 2023 expected to break all heat records.
The report, which presents the most comprehensive assessment of Earth’s invisible tripwires, highlights 26 tipping points that could be set off by various factors, including global warming and human activities such as deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Of these tipping points, five are already showing signs of tipping, including the melting ice sheets and the mass die-off of coral reefs.
The report emphasizes that once one tipping point is crossed, dealing with the immediate humanitarian disaster could divert attention away from preventing the others, resulting in a “vicious cycle” of hunger, displacement, and conflict. Tim Lenton, the lead author of the report, describes these tipping points as a threat of unprecedented magnitude for humanity.
However, the report also highlights positive tipping points, such as the adoption of electric vehicles, renewable energy, and plant-based diets, which have the potential to swiftly turn things around.
One of the key concerns is the potential collapse of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, which could raise sea levels by two meters by 2100, exposing nearly half a billion people to frequent coastal flooding. The shrinking Greenland ice sheet is particularly worrisome, as it might already be past the tipping point.
Other tipping points at risk include dying tropical coral reefs, melting permafrost, and ocean currents such as the North Atlantic subpolar gyre circulation. The report also mentions the possibility of the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which could lead to a global food security crisis and water shortage.
Recent fires in the Amazon rainforest and Canada’s boreal forests have also heightened concerns about their vulnerability to tipping points.
The researchers behind the report call for tipping points to be incorporated into global stocktake discussions at COP28 and included in national targets to combat climate change. They also urge policymakers to take immediate action to push tipping points in the right direction through changes in energy, transport, food, and agriculture policies.
Scientists not involved in the report have echoed its findings, stating that the risks of crossing tipping points are dire and could have horrific consequences for human lives.
(Note: This article is a syndicated feed and has not been edited by NDTV staff, except for the headline.)
