“In our view, the clearest emergency would be if we were approaching a global cascade of tipping points that led to a new, less habitable, ‘hothouse’ climate state,” says the study.
The researchers conclude that any number of interactions between ocean and atmospheric changes have the potential to increase greenhouse-gas levels and global temperature. And, they think that the cascading effects are recurring more frequently by the day.
Another study found that 45% of interactions resulting from the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet increased the risk of one tipping point crossing over from one system into another.
“Evidence is mounting that these events could be more likely than was thought, have high impacts and are interconnected across different biophysical systems, potentially committing the world to long-term irreversible changes,” the study concludes.