New report highlights imminent climate threats: Calls for urgent global action

A new report, based on findings from more than 200 researchers, sounds the alarm on climate tipping points—critical thresholds that, when crossed, will severely impact human life and disrupt global social and economic systems.

The Global Tipping Points Report, which was presented at the U.N. climate conference COP28 on December 6, is the most comprehensive assessment of tipping points ever conducted. Climate Scientist and Chapman University Associate Professor Joshua Fisher is part of the international team that contributed to the findings.

The report warns that if current trends continue, at least five tipping points will likely be triggered—including the collapse of major ice sheets and the warming of coral reefs. Three more are threatened in the 2030s, and authors caution that other future climate events could threaten our ability to grow major staple crops.

"This report reminds us that climate change is not a distant threat but a stark reality knocking on our doorsteps. We are looking at irreversible consequences for our planet and civilization," said Fisher. "But these findings also illuminate a path forward—our collective action has the power to help protect the planet for future generations."

Although the report concludes that "business as usual" is no longer possible, it highlights positive changes that, if multiplied, could save millions of lives and trillions of dollars in climate-related damage. Some of these examples include the expansion of renewable energy sources, increased use of electric vehicles, and wide acceptance of plant-based diets.

The authors provide six key recommendations to change course, including eliminating fossil fuel emissions by 2050, introducing positive changes in high-emitting sectors like transportation, and convening a global summit on tipping points.