Climate Tipping Point

A climate tipping point is a critical threshold in the Earth's climate system beyond which a small additional change triggers a large, often irreversible shift to a new state. Examples include the collapse of the Greenland or West Antarctic ice sheets, dieback of the Amazon rainforest, and disruption of Atlantic Ocean circulation. Scientists have identified at least 16 potential tipping elements, several of which may be triggered between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius of global warming.