Thursday, January 26, 2023
Change Oracle Logo
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather
  • Energy
    • Renewables
    • Nuclear Power
    • Fossil Fuels
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Disinformation
    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Gender Equality
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Decarbonization
    • Economics
    • Supply Chains
    • Investing
  • Technology
    • Carbon Removal
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Buildings
    • Food
No Result
View All Result
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Wildfires
    • Extreme Weather
  • Energy
    • Renewables
    • Nuclear Power
    • Fossil Fuels
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Social Change
    • Activism
    • Disinformation
    • Education
    • Psychology
    • Gender Equality
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Decarbonization
    • Economics
    • Supply Chains
    • Investing
  • Technology
    • Carbon Removal
    • Carbon Capture
    • Transportation
    • Buildings
    • Food
No Result
View All Result
Change Oracle Logo
No Result
View All Result
Home Other

Best Evidence Yet that Climate Tipping Points Threaten to Push Us Past the Point of No Return

by Richard Matthews
October 16, 2018
in Other
0

A slew of studies confirm that we are nearing tipping points from which we may not be able to recover. Common sense calls for urgent action and if we act soon there may still be time. However, the hotter it gets the more likely it is that we will surpass tipping points that will accelerate warming past a point of no return. The most recent IPCC report reaffirms that we are teetering perilously on the cusp of imminent turning points.  A recently published study in the Journal of Earth System Dynamics also concludes that we are rapidly approaching a point of no return. The study is titled, “The point of no return for climate action: effects of climate uncertainty and risk tolerance”. “In our study, we show that there are strict deadlines for taking climate action,” Henk Dijkstra, a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and one of the study authors, said in a statement. “We conclude that very little time is left before the Paris targets [to limit global warming] become infeasible.”

Another paper published in PNAS explores the risks of crossing thresholds that augur “hothouse earth” even if we reduce emissions. Like all the other studies, this paper warns of the need for immediate broad-spectrum international action. The paper is titled, “Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene”.

“Collective human action is required to steer the Earth System away from a potential threshold and stabilize it in a habitable interglacial-like state. Such action entails stewardship of the entire Earth System—biosphere, climate, and societies—and could include decarbonization of the global economy, enhancement of biosphere carbon sinks, behavioral changes, technological innovations, new governance arrangements, and transformed social values.”

If we fail to deal with the problem the earth’s average temperature could rise 4 or 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, leading to sea levels up to 200 feet higher than they are now.

Even though there is concern that it may already be too late to avoid catastrophic feedback loops scientists are trying to soften their language to make their conclusions more palatable. The terrifying reality of the climate crisis causes people to avoid the nature of the problem. As explained in a Washington Post article the language in the IPCC report was toned down to garner more interest.

However, the truth about climate change is terrifying. This is not hyperbole, this is born out by several studies. We know that global warming is driving sea-level rise and this on its own will cause devastating civilization-changing flooding if we fail to act. There are also other potentially far more serious threats.

One of the tipping points that have garnered some attention is melting permafrost. If the permafrost in the far north keeps melting, it will unleash tremendous amounts of greenhouse gases (methane and carbon) that will cancel out all mitigation efforts. For years scientists have been studying methane emanating from melting ice in the Arctic. Scientists have called melting Arctic ice a  ticking time bomb and they have declared a state of emergency. We know that the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere on earth and this is a concern for us all. This warming is creating feedback loops that are further accelerating warming.

We have been warned over and over again. If we fail to reduce emissions and decrease warming we will trigger tipping points that will augur an irreversible collapse of the earth’s natural systems.  

Related
We Are Already Teetering on the Brink of Tipping Points
We Are on the Verge of Tipping Points
What are Environmental Tipping Points
Building Support for Action on Climate Change Before We Reach Tipping Points
Melting Ice Releasing Methane (Tipping Point)
Feedback Loops Between Wildfires Peat and Carbon
Arctic Warming Feedback Loops: Algae Blooms and Thawing Permafrost
Arctic Climate Feedback Loops: Heat, Melting Ice and Fires
The Dangerous Feedback Loop Between Wildfires and Climate Change
Heat Connects Wildfires to Climate Change

ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

IPCC Study Offers Another Dose of Climate Reality

Next Post

Attribution Science Connecting Hurricane Florence to Climate Change

Related Posts

Seasons Greetings from the Green Market Oracle

by Richard Matthews
December 24, 2021
0

American Courts are Defending Democracy and the Environment

by Richard Matthews
December 14, 2020
0

Despite unprecedented challenges, America's legal system has held. In recent weeks the courts have repeatedly defended democracy and in the last four years they have overturned a wide range of environmental...

Environmental Plebiscites: Municipal Referendums and State Ballot Initiatives

by Richard Matthews
November 12, 2020
0

The November 3rd election not only elected an environmentally responsible president it also gave Americans a chance to vote on environmental issues in five state ballots and two city referendums. Americans ...

Next Post

Attribution Science Connecting Hurricane Florence to Climate Change

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • SoundCloud

Subscribe to the Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

change oracle will explore the fundamental unworkability of capitalism
Economics

Confessions of a former capitalist: The journey that made me an advocate of radical change

by Richard Matthews
January 11, 2023
2

Almost ten years ago, journalist and author Naomi Klein asked me whether capitalism can be sustainable. I responded by citing a mountain...

Read more

A Peace Pact with Nature Secured at the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal (COP15)

December 29, 2022

Historic Progress on Climate Finance at COP27

December 19, 2022
3 decades of conference of the parties

Three Decades of UN Climate Change Conferences

December 12, 2022

How 3 Carbon Removal Technologies Work Together to Mitigate Emissions

November 3, 2022
  • About
  • Climate Change
  • Energy
  • Business and Economics
  • Politics
  • Technology
  • Social Change
  • Events
  • Other

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business and Economics
    • Leadership
    • Supply Chains
  • Economics
  • Energy
    • Renewables
    • Nuclear Power
    • Fossil Fuels
  • Climate Change
    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions
    • Biodiversity
    • Extreme Weather
    • Wildfires
  • Investing
  • Politics
    • American Politics
    • Canadian Politics
    • International Politics
  • Technology
    • Buildings
    • Carbon Capture
    • Food
    • Transportation
  • Social Change
    • Education
    • Activism
    • Psychology

© 2021 Copyright The Green Market Oracle.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In