“This report is the most comprehensive review to date on tipping points in the Earth System,” explains Sina Loriani of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), one of the report’s lead authors. “Crossing these thresholds may trigger fundamental and sometimes abrupt changes that could irreversibly determine the fate of essential parts of our Earth system for the coming hundreds or thousands of years. These tipping point risks are potentially disastrous, and should be taken very seriously from a precautionary perspective on current and future generations, despite the remaining uncertainties.”
T.M. Lenton, et al.
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