From Ice Sheets To Oceans: The Climate Tipping Points That Worry Scientists

Scientists are worried about Earth's changing weather patterns. Multiple studies have warned that our blue planet may be edging closer to climate tipping point, a threshold that, when crossed, can lead to significant and irreversible changes in the climate. Understanding these points has become critical to our planet's future, especially since the temperature is increasing - primarily by human activities that release greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

What is climate tipping point?

A climate tipping point is a critical threshold where a small environmental change can lead to dramatic and often irreversible shifts. Think of it like pushing a glass just over the edge of a table - once it falls, it can't go back.

This means that after a drastic climatic event, if the Earth cools down later, the system might not return to its original state.

Examples of climate tipping point

Some of the major examples include melting of the Greenland ice sheet. The autonomous territory is losing 2.5 million litres of fresh water every second, according to a UN report, contributing significantly to global sea rise level.

Another concerning manifestation of climate tipping point is the Amazon rainforest dieback - a phenomenon that has transformed the world's biggest "natural lungs" to savanna-like ecosystem due to factors like deforestation, drought and climate change.

Similarly, rising temperature of Earth has also caused the thawing of permafrost, a process where frozen ground in the polar and high-altitude regions thaws during rising temperature. The changes in Earth's climate are also threatening Atlantic Ocean Circulation or AMOC, a large system of ocean currents that redistributes heat and nutrients globally. Its collapse can lead to abrupt and severe climate shifts with global consequences.

A study published in 2024 reports that the AMOC has gone through a "noticeable reduction in strength" in the last couple of decades, and recent estimates of when shutdown might happen are getting ever closer to our time.

A 2023 study forecast sometime between 2025 and 2095, with a central estimate of 2050. Another analysis, revealed in August last year, points to collapse sometime between 2037 and 2064.

Why scientists are alarmed now

Recent studies show signs that some tipping points-like ice sheet instability-are closer than previously thought. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming increases the risk significantly.

Combining data from climate models, satellite data and paleoclimate records, American space agency NASA and Columbia University explained in a research that human-made greenhouse gases have brought the Earth's climate close to critical tipping point point, with potential dangerous consequences for the planet.

Climate scientists are sounding the alarm button now because many of these tipping points are projected to be reached with relatively small increases in global temperature. They want global decision-makers to take decisions keeping in mind the need to avoid crossing the crucial threshold and limit the impacts of climate change.