Risk of multiple climate tipping points escalates above 1.5°C global warming
According to a significant new analysis published in the journal Science, if global temperature increases by more than 1.5°C beyond pre-industrial levels, many climate tipping points might be set off. Five severe climatic tipping points are currently possible at the current rate of global warming, and the dangers are worse with every additional tenth of a degree of warming. An extensive analysis of more than 200 publications published since 2008, when climatic tipping points were first properly defined, allowed an international research team to synthesize the evidence for tipping points, their temperature thresholds, timelines, and implications. From nine to sixteen potential tipping points are now on the list. The study finds that human emissions have already pushed Earth into the tipping points danger zone. It was released ahead of the big conference "Tipping Points: from climate crisis to positive transformation" at the University of Exeter (12–14 September). The melting o...