Earth has hit a catastrophic environmental tipping point, say scientists

The planet has reached its first catastrophic tipping point linked to greenhouse gas emissions, with warm water coral reefs now facing a long-term decline and risking the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, according to a new report.

- Graham Readfearn

The document, which includes contributions from 160 scientists from 87 institutions in 23 countries, warns the world is also “on the brink” of reaching other tipping points, including the dieback of the Amazon, the collapse of major ocean currents and the loss of ice sheets.

Tipping points are recognised by scientists as moments when a major ecosystem reaches a point where severe degradation is inevitable.

“Unless we return to global mean surface temperatures of 1.2C (and eventually to at least 1C) as fast as possible, we will not retain warm-water reefs on our planet at any meaningful scale,” the report says.