The “unbearable heat” tipping point is associated with a “wet-bulb temperature” exceeding 35°C, which combines temperature and humidity. High humidity impedes sweat evaporation, exacerbating heat effects and resulting in organ failure and brain damage, making it a dire concern.

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2. Tipping Points
GS3: Environment

3. Tipping Points
• Definition: Critical threshold in environmental science.
• Risk Tipping Point: When a socio-ecological system can no
longer effectively mitigate risks.
• Beyond this point, potential for catastrophic impacts
increases.

4. • Extinctions: Risk of irreversible loss of species.
• Depleting Groundwater: Affecting essential resource availability.
• Melting Glaciers: Accelerated retreat due to climate change.
• Space Debris: Proliferation in space, risks to satellites.
• Unbearable Heat: Escalating temperatures and humidity.
• Uninsurable Future: Extreme weather events and economic
losses.
IdentifiedTipping Points

5. • Human-induced activities hastening extinctions.
• Over 400 vertebrate species extinct in the past century.
• Survival of approximately one million species at risk.
AcceleratedExtinctions
DominoEffectonEcosystems
• Disappearance of one species triggers a domino effect.
• Example: Gopher tortoise and dusky gopher frog.

6. Depleting Groundwater Reserves
• Global aquifers in critical state, primary source for two billion people.
• 70% allocated for agriculture.
• 21 out of 37 largest aquifers depleting faster than replenishment.
Melting Glaciers
• Vital water sources for various purposes.
• Melting at twice the rate due to global warming.
• Loss of 267 gigatons of ice annually.

7. • Alarming proliferation of space debris.
• Risks to operational satellites and missions.
• 130 million fragments too small to track.
Depleting Groundwater Reserves
Unbearable Heat
• Associated with "wet-bulb temperature" exceeding 35°C.
• Effects on health and organ failure.

8. • Escalating frequency and severity of extreme weather events.
• Sevenfold increase in losses from weather-related disasters since the 1970s.
Uninsurable Future
Charting the Path Forward
• Global Cooperation: Strengthen international collaboration.
• Aggressive Emissions Reductions: Combat climate change.
• Invest in Sustainable Energy: Reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
• Biodiversity Protection: Safeguard biodiversity.
• Enhanced Global Health Systems: Prepare for health-related
challenges.
• Conflict Resolution Mechanisms: Resolve conflicts in the face of
environmental threats.

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