Harmful tipping points in the natural world pose some of the gravest threats faced by humanity. Their triggering will severely damage our planet’s life-support systems and threaten the stability of our societies.
In the Summary Report:
• Narrative summary
• Global tipping points infographic
• Key messages
• Key Recommendations
Executive summary
• Section 1
• Section 2
• Section 3
• Section 4
This report is for all those concerned with tackling escalating Earth system change and mobilising transformative social change to alter that trajectory, achieve sustainability and promote social justice.
In this section:
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Key Concepts
• Approach
• References
Considers Earth system tipping points. These are reviewed and assessed across the three major domains of the cryosphere, biosphere and circulation of the oceans and atmosphere. We then consider the interactions and potential cascades of Earth system tipping points, followed by an assessment of early warning signals for Earth system tipping points.
Considers tipping point impacts. First we look at the human impacts of Earth system tipping points, then the potential couplings to negative tipping points in human systems. Next we assess the potential for cascading and compounding systemic risk, before considering the potential for early warning of impact tipping points.
Considers how to govern Earth system tipping points and their associated risks. We look at governance of mitigation, prevention and stabilisation then we focus on governance of impacts, including adaptation, vulnerability and loss and damage. Finally, we assess the need for knowledge generation at the science-policy interface.
Focuses on positive tipping points in technology, the economy and society. It provides a framework for understanding and acting on positive tipping points. We highlight illustrative case studies across energy, food and transport and mobility systems, with a focus on demand-side solutions (which have previously received limited attention).
Governance needs to go beyond over-simplistic, quantitative indicators, such as counting how many trees have been planted and where. It needs to acknowledge the rights, values, visions, knowledge and needs of local communities in policies: recognitional equity. It also needs to ensure an inclusive and participatory decision making process: procedural equity (Bennett, 2022). Earth system, biodiversity and wellbeing outcomes (as well as potential harms) should be balanced: distributional equity. The interests of disadvantaged or marginalised groups need to be safeguarded, including nonhuman species and ecosystems: environmental equity. Leadership from, and participation with, local communities should be fostered and improved to allow local engagement in management activities: management equity. Emphasis should also be placed on qualitative factors such as equity and justice of protected areas: contextual equity (Pickering et al., 2022). Failing to address any of these dimensions may result in reproducing historical injustices and simply ‘kick the tipping point down the road’.