Greenhouse gases escaping from Siberian permafrost could overwhelm already belaboured efforts to curb man-made carbon pollution. Monsoon rains in South Asia, the polar ice cap, coral reef ecosystems, the jet stream, the Amazon basin all are vulnerable to point-of-no-return transitions that would radically alter the world as we know it. Up to now, scientists have focused mostly on temperature thresholds and timing: how much warming will it take to trigger each tipping point? PERIOD OF GRACE The threshold for the two ice sheets is probably below 2 C, and may have already been passed, experts say. To melt the permafrost, however, it will likely take at least another degree or two of warming.
04-21-2021
By
Earth.com staff writer
A new study suggests that the catastrophic consequences of climate “tipping points” could still be prevented if global warming is swiftly reversed. The experts report that tipping points will not necessarily be permanent, depending on how quickly we act.
Once a certain threshold of warming is reached, tipping points in the climate system will trigger abrupt changes such as the loss of major ice sheets and large carbon stores like forests.
In previous studies, scientists have warned that a cascading series of climate events could push the Earth into a hothouse state that is characterized by food and water shortages, the displacement of hundreds of millions of people due to sea level rise, and unsuitable living conditions.
Acting quickly to curb global warming could help avert the devastating consequences of climate change and avoid going past the point of no return, research has suggested.
It is thought that climate change has several “tipping points” – thresholds for change which, when reached, result in a process that is difficult to reverse.
Consequences would include abrupt changes such as the dieback of the Amazon rainforest or melting of major ice sheets.
However, in a new study published in the journal Nature, UK scientists say these thresholds could be “temporarily exceeded” without causing irreversible damage, provided swift action is taken.
They add the time available to act would depend on the level of global warming and the timescale involved in each tipping point.
Climate tipping points need not be the end of the world eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.