Widespread mortality of coral reefs

Acropora coral turns white due to high sea surface temperature and climate change.
Photo: Canva

“We are rapidly approaching multiple Earth system tipping points that could transform our world, with devastating consequences for people and nature. This demands immediate, unprecedented action from leaders at COP30 and policymakers worldwide,” says Professor Tim Lenton from the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter.

The second Global Tipping Points Report finds that warm-water coral reefs – on which nearly a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend – are now passing their tipping point. Widespread dieback is occurring, and unless global warming is reversed, extensive reefs as we know them will be lost. However, small refuges may survive and must be protected.

Authored by 160 scientists from 87 institutions in 23 countries, the report warns that the planet is dangerously close to triggering other catastrophic tipping points – from melting ice sheets to Amazon rainforest dieback and the collapse of key ocean currents.
“This demands immediate, unprecedented action from leaders at COP30 and policymakers worldwide,” repeats Tim Lenton.

Solar and wind: Positive tipping points crossed

The report also highlights progress on positive tipping points – and opportunities for a cascade of positive change. Positive tipping points have already been crossed in solar PV and wind power globally, as well as in the adoption of electric vehicles, battery storage, and heat pumps in leading markets. Coordinated policy action, it says, can trigger further transformative change across sectors and societies.

Equity at the heart of transformation

Laura Pereira, researchers at Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, served as the “equity and justice” liaison for the report’s Risks chapters and also contributed to the Human Rights chapter together with former SRC master student Ida Edling. Their work highlights that climate tipping points are deeply intertwined with social justice and human rights.

“Whilst we are entering an unprecedented phase of human-induced change to the planet, there remains time to act and to create a more sustainable and just future for all. The findings of this report require a strong reckoning with our current social and economic systems, which have led to this moment of potentially imminent cascading crises across our planet and societies, whilst offering some of the transformative solutions we must undertake to enable a more just and sustainable future,” says Laura Pereira, adding:

“We cannot address the climate crisis by perpetuating the same systems of injustice and oppression that caused it in the first place - we need deeper, more equitable solutions that allow a sustainable future for both people and planet.”

Read full version of the article at SRC web