Global Climate Tipping Points
As defined during the 2023 Global Tipping Points Report, Earth is built from interrelated systems that work based on a shared set of rules that form a recognizable whole
These systems, unfortunately, are all affected by tipping points, where small changes can destabilize the way a system functions, causing interruptions that are sometimes irreversible. This 2023 report found over 25 parts of the Earth system that have tipping points based on evidence from paleoclimate records, observations, theory, and complex computer models.
Earth’s tipping points are known to be in the biosphere, ocean-atmosphere circulations, and the cryosphere—particularly with large-scale tipping points in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, where our project matters most.
Many of these tipping points could have cascading effects where they begin to cause destabilization within other systems, such as West Antarctica’s melting ice sheets causing global sea level rise, disruption in ocean circulation, and shifts in atmospheric circulation patterns.
In 2024, the average global surface temperature was 1.46°C warmer than pre-industrial levels. With an estimated temperature threshold of 1 – 3 °C warmer, we are already within the temperature range for the collapse of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet.
The world is not on a trajectory to stop the global warming threshold 1.5 or 2.0 °C. Even with an immediate emissions reduction the warming will continue for decades. To avoid trespassing tipping points, scientists all over the world are exploring ideas to reduce temperatures and delay disaster with new technologies. UArctic has developed a library of these ideas and it will be continuously updated as ideas are matured or dismissed.