Don't despair, collective action can address climate change

"Earth-systems scientist Tim Lenton has long been emphasizing the importance of ' tipping points' for climate change. In a seminal paper published in 2008, he and his co-authors identified several elements of Earth's climate system that might shift to a different state irreversibly once physical thresholds are crossed ( T. M. Lenton et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 105, 1786-1793; 2008). For example, the Greenland ice sheet, the Amazon rainforest and circulation patterns in the Atlantic Ocean could change suddenly as the world warms."

"Breaches of climate tipping points are a reason for great concern and warrant rapid reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions. Yet some types of tipping point could instead help to slow down climate change. Social ones, for example, could accelerate the transition to climate neutrality. Policies that have helped to reduce the cost of solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, for example, have encouraged consumers and companies to use electric and renewable-energy sources. These trends are unlikely to be reversed even if such policies are revoked."

Certain elements of Earth's climate system can shift abruptly and irreversibly when physical thresholds are crossed, including the Greenland ice sheet, the Amazon rainforest and Atlantic circulation. Breaches of these tipping points justify rapid greenhouse‑gas emissions reductions. Some tipping points, however, can be positive: social and technological changes can create self-reinforcing dynamics that accelerate decarbonization. Policy-driven cost declines for solar, wind and batteries have already spurred adoption and private-sector shifts toward electrification and renewables, trends that persist even if policies are rolled back. Targeted actions that provoke social tipping points could harness feedbacks to slow climate change and counter fatalism.

Read at Nature