
On 12-14 September 2022, the University of Exeter is hosting a ‘call to action’ to form an alliance to improve warnings of the proximity of catastrophic climate tipping points and to accelerate positive tipping points to avert the climate crisis.
ABOUT THIS SESSION
Over the past decades, our scientific understanding of climate change has significantly grown. The IPCC reports have played a key role in synthetizing the best available science on the causes of climate change, its impacts, and possible pathways to adapt to and mitigate them.
Meanwhile, scientific information on large-scale singular events, tipping points and irreversibilities remains scattered. Tipping points in the climate system refer to thresholds that can occur as a consequence of human induced climate change, and that lead to changes are abrupt, high-impact, large-scale and often irreversible.
To respond to this need, the government of Switzerland considers it timely and pertinent to ask the IPCC to elaborate a Special Report on “Climate Tipping Points and their Implications for Habitability and Resources”, which will be prepared in the framework of the IPCC’s 7th Assessment Cycle, scheduled to start in 2023. All three IPCC Working Groups are expected to contribute to this Special Report, making it a comprehensive assessment of the topic. The timing of the approval of the report should take place around 2026 in order to serve as the basis for the second UNFCCC Global Stocktake from 2026 to 2028, and well before the second commitment period under the Paris Agreement in 2030.
This event organized with Switzerland within the framework of the Geneva Environment Network, will present the initiative to governments participating in the IPCC and Parties to the UNFCCC and other interested stakeholders. The goal of the event is to lay out as to how the crossing of tipping points in the climate systems may impact society, environment and economies alike, across the globe.
More information: tiny.cc/GEN25May22
SPEAKERS
Additional speaker to be confirmed.
REGISTRATION
To participate in-person at the International Environment House I, room 3, kindly register on the Eventbrite platform.
To participate online, kindly register on the Webex platform.
Co-organized by CR7/NP8/OS1
Convener: Ricarda Winkelmann | Co-conveners: Jonathan Donges, Victor Brovkin, Sarah Cornell, Timothy Lenton
In this session we invite contributions on all topics relating to tipping points in the Earth system, positive (social) tipping, as well as their interaction and domino effects. We are particularly interested in various methodological approaches, from Earth system modelling to conceptual modelling and data analysis of nonlinearities, tipping points and abrupt shifts in the Earth system. Read more about it here.
With rising anthropogenic pressures, there is an increasing risk we might be hitting the ceiling of some of the self-regulating feedbacks of the Earth System, and cross tipping points which could trigger large-scale and partly irreversible impacts on the environment, and impact the livelihood of millions of people. Potential domino effects or tipping cascades could arise due to the interactions between these tipping elements and lead to a further decline of Earth resilience. At the same time, there is growing evidence supporting the potential of positive (social) tipping points that could propel rapid decarbonization and transformative change towards global sustainability.
Deadlines & milestones (selection)
Abstract submission deadline: 12 January 2022, 13:00 CET
Travel Support application deadline: 1 December 2021