Climate tipping points are being crossed, scientists warn ahead of COP30

Global warming is crossing dangerous thresholds sooner than expected, with the world’s coral reefs now in an almost irreversible die-off, marking what scientists on Oct 13 described as the first “tipping point” in climate-driven ecosystem collapse.

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The last two years were the earth's warmest on record, with marine heatwaves that stressed 84 per cent of the world's reefs to the point of bleaching and, in some cases, death. Coral reefs sustain about a quarter of marine life.

(PHOTO: AFP)

The warning in the Global Tipping Points report by 160 researchers worldwide, which synthesises groundbreaking science to estimate points of no return, comes just weeks ahead of 2025’s COP30 climate summit which will be held at the edge of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

That same rainforest system is now at risk of collapsing once the average global temperature warms beyond just 1.5 deg C based on deforestation rates, the report said, revising down the estimated threshold for the Amazon.