Researchers warn that irreversible climate changes are already taking place on the planet—according to a new report released ahead of the next global climate summit.
The document states that between 2023 and 2025, coral reefs experienced the most extensive bleaching event ever recorded, and the threshold temperature beyond which ecosystems begin to collapse has been exceeded.
Climate scientists use the term “tipping point” to describe the level of warming at which the consequences become irreversible—when, for example, coral reefs can no longer recover, and ice sheets can no longer reform. Regarding reefs, the authors note that “even under the most optimistic emissions scenarios, tropical coral reefs are almost certain to reach their breaking point.”
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According to the researchers, a similar trend is observed in the ice sheets—they are moving toward an “irreversible collapse that will lock in long-term multi-metre sea level rise.” The report also states that Antarctic sea ice “may have its own tipping point, a process that may already be underway,” though this assessment is described as “highly uncertain.”
The report was prepared by the international organisation Global Tipping Points, which brings together 160 scientists from 23 countries under the leadership of Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter (United Kingdom). The publication coincides with the opening of the COP30 climate summit, to be held in Brazil in about a month.
“We must act now. By working together, we can halt the dangerous trend leading to cascading systemic breakdowns like dominoes. By supporting one another, we can prevent a potentially devastating chain reaction,” said COP30 President André Aranha Corrêa do Lago in the foreword to the report.
The publication comes as Donald Trump’s administration shifts U.S. climate policy, abandoning Biden-era initiatives aimed at combating climate change and prioritising the use of fossil fuels that accelerate global warming.