Tipping Points

Yesterday, I saw a disturbing video clip listing three of the next tipping points. Especially the third one almost made me sick.

• Coral bleaching. I don't see this as that much of a tipping point. It's rather as an indicator. However, it is happening right now. So, we have already reached one of the points. Corals are bleaching in large quantities, currently about 35-40% in Australia. It is the fifth wave since 2016. Source
• Forest dieback. Anyone driving through the German Harz region can already see this effect. Drought is causing monoculture forest areas to become vulnerable. The bark beetle also has an easy time. But the tropical rainforest will be affected, too. And this is one of the largest CO₂ sinks we have. So, this is a real tipping point. The more forest is lost, the less CO₂ can be removed from the atmosphere.
• Greenland ice. There is land under the ice sheet there. We all know that. But land is dark, and lighter snow reflects more sunlight back into space than dark land. Here, too, a spiral sets in. The more ice melts, the more heat the land absorbs, the more ice melts. This will happen in the coming decades. The ice present there can cause the oceans to rise by a staggering 7 meters. This threatens all coastal cities and the existence of one billion people.