Tipping Points

Nature doesn’t respond in incremental and linear ways, but has several distinctly different states that are separated by thresholds, or tipping points. Feedback mechanisms keep the system tightly in one state; this is explained using the example of a self-watering rainforest. Tipping points are explored through the example of the albedo effect in Greenland and drying in the Amazon rainforest. In order to navigate sustainable development in the Anthropocene, we need to understand both pressures and tipping points in order to find a safe operating space for development.

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