‘It’s a fight for life’ Tipping points, doomerism and catastrophic risks

Climate expert Genevieve Guenther on the importance of correcting the false narrative that climate threat is under control... and why it is appropriate to be scared

- By Jonathan Watts

Climatebreakdowncanbe observed across many continuous, incremental changes such as soaring carbon dioxide levels, rising seas and heating oceans. The numbers creep up year after year, fuelled by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

But scientists have also identified at least 16 “tipping points” - thresholds where a tiny shift could cause fundamental parts of the Earth system to change dramatically, irreversibly and with potentially devastating effects. These shifts can interact with each other and create feedback loops that heat the planet further or disrupt weather patterns, with unknown but potentially catastrophic consequences for life on Earth. It is possible some tipping points may already have been passed.

Dr Genevieve Guenther, an American climate communications specialist, is the founding director of End Climate Silence, which studies the representation of global heating in the media and public discourse. Last year, she published The Language of Climate Politics: Fossil Fuel Propaganda and How to Fight It, which was described by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben as “a gift to the world”. To coincide with the Global Tipping Points conference held this week at the University of Exeter in the UK, Guenther talked to the Guardian about the need to discuss catastrophic risks when talking about the climate crisis.

The climate crisis is pushing globally important ecosystems towards the point of no return. Why is it important to talk about tipping points?

We need to correct a false narrative that the climate threat is under control. These enormous risks are potentially catastrophic. They would undo the connections between human and ecological systems that form the basis of all civilisation.

How have attitudes changed towards these dangers?