Climate Tipping Points
Some parts of the climate system — ice sheets, ocean circulation, rainforests — can shift into a very different state once pushed past a certain point. Crossing those thresholds locks in changes that are hard or impossible to undo.
Scientific detail
Tipping elements exhibit nonlinear, hysteretic responses to gradual forcing: candidates include Greenland and West Antarctic ice-sheet collapse, AMOC weakening, Amazon dieback and permafrost carbon release. Once crossed, positive feedbacks (albedo, carbon, moisture) can drive the system to a new attractor. Reducing radiative forcing — including via surface albedo enhancement — helps keep the system away from these thresholds.
Related terms
Effective Radiative Forcing
The net change in Earth's energy balance caused by a given intervention or driver.
Greenhouse Effect
The trapping of heat in Earth's atmosphere by gases such as CO₂, methane and water vapour.
Adaptive Mitigation
Interventions that adapt to warming today and reduce warming tomorrow.
Climate Adaptation
Actions that reduce harm from a changing climate here and now.