Global Tipping Points Report 2023

Our overarching aim is to provide a first-ever comprehensive (but not exhaustive) assessment of currently recognised tipping points in the Earth system and in human systems that are relevant to urgent contemporary global change – especially climate change and biodiversity loss – and associated transformative social change. The report aims to help improve climate risk assessment by comprehensively assessing the risks from Earth system tipping points. It considers the systemic risks of how Earth system tipping points can impact human systems, especially whether and how they could trigger undesirable social tipping points. Then it aims to assess how to govern the risks from Earth system tipping points. It further aims to synthesise knowledge of positive tipping points and their potential to accelerate transformative social change, as well as explain how to govern these opportunities (and their associated risks), building in part on our previous ‘Breakthrough Effect’ report with SYSTEMIQ (Meldrum et al., 2023) https://policycommons.net/artifacts/3374494/the-breakthrough-effect/4173341/. This report as a whole is intended to provide a foundation for future regular updates on the status of tipping points in the Earth system and in human systems. At the time of writing, there is a shortage of assessment of these, particularly at the level of synthesis across the climate, ecological and social realms. There is a proposal under consideration for an IPCC Special Report on Tipping Points, which we support. That would have a different style and emphasis and would be subject to inter-governmental approval. We trust that this report would provide a useful stepping stone. The Global Tipping Points Report was launched at COP28 on 6 December 2023. The report is an authoritative assessment of the risks and opportunities of both negative and positive tipping points in the Earth system and society. This report is for all those concerned with tackling escalating Earth system change and mobilising transformative social change to alter that trajectory, achieve sustainability and promote social justice.