Home
Weather Dublin
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Earth approaching climate tipping points

15:00
11 September 2022

Global warming
Earth approaching climate tipping points

Juxtaposed weather conditions

The planet is at risk of crossing six climate tipping points according to new analysis.

A climate tipping point is described by the United Nations as a critical threshold at which a system reorganises, often abruptly, and/or irreversibly on a human timescale.

Now, research led by Stockholm University and the University of Exeter suggests that exceeding 1.5C in global temperature rising is likely to trigger multiple tipping points.

The researchers analysed data published since 2008 and over 200 studies to determine these six tipping points.

Once a point is met, there is a self-sustaining breakdown of the feature which cannot be halted even if global warming is slowed or halted.

The six tipping points
Collapse of the Greenland Ice SheetCoral reef die off in low latitudes
Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice SheetThawing of permafrost in northern regions
Collapse of ocean circulation in the North Atlantic's polar regionRapid sea ice loss in the Barents Sea

Last year Climate Action Tracker says that even the most optimistic climate scenario would see global warming of 1.8C compared to the pre-industrial era.

Unfortunately many of these tipping points are interlinked. For example if an ice sheet collapses there is less snow and ice to reflect sunlight away from the ground resulting in faster warmings and further melting.

Other tipping points include dieback of the Amazon rainforest, a shift in the West African monsoon, and greening of the Sahara Desert.

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
The night sky glows with vivid aurora colours, showing bright green bands near the horizon blending into purple and pink streaks higher up. Dark silhouettes of trees frame the bottom of the scene.
Wednesday 13 May 2026

To the north

Northern Lights could shine tonight
Temperature radar for Europe. A cold front and a blue arrow are shown.
Monday 11 May 2026

Cooler in the UK already

Sudden temperature drop across Europe
Radar image showing a thunderstorm cell over northern Italy, near Brescia and Bergamo. Next to it, several large white hailstones in a hand.
Weather VideosTuesday 12 May 2026

Severe storms in Italy

Damage caused by large hailstones
All weather news
This might also interest you
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Illustration of white and yellow fireworks on a blue background.
Wednesday 31 December 2025

Hello 2026

Happy New Year
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwitteryouTubelinkList