End of the world as we know it: Damning new report says Earth has reached its first climate ‘tipping point’
Coral reef decline signals Earth’s first climate tipping point, scientists warn
- A new report by 160 international researchers indicates Earth has reached its first climate tipping point, with warm-water coral reefs, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, now in irreversible decline due to boiling ocean temperatures.
- The Global Tipping Points Report, led by the University of Exeter, warns that coral ecosystems, vital for a billion people and a quarter of marine life, are entering a 'new reality' of decline.
- Scientists now believe critical climate tipping points, such as the collapse of the Amazon rainforest and Atlantic Ocean currents, could occur with just 1-2 C of global warming, much sooner than previously estimated.
- With the planet already having warmed 1.2C and on track for 3.1C by 2100, experts stress the urgent need for decisive action to avoid catastrophic outcomes for humanity.
- Researchers urge countries to trigger 'positive tipping points' through new technology, clean energy transition, and drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, calling for political bravery at the upcoming Cop30 climate summit.