Point of no return: a hellish hothouse Earth' getting closer, scientists say

"The world is closer than thought to a point of no return after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said. Continued global heating could trigger climate tipping points, leading to a cascade of further tipping points and feedback loops, they said. This would lock the world into a new and hellish hothouse Earth climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach."

"The climate would also be very different to the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years, during which the whole of human civilisation developed. At just 1.3C of global heating in recent years, extreme weather is already taking lives and destroying livelihoods across the globe. At 3-4C, the economy and society will cease to function as we know it, scientists said last week, but a hothouse Earth would be even more fiery."

"The public and politicians were largely unaware of the risk of passing the point of no return, the researchers said. The group said they were issuing their warning because while rapid and immediate cuts to fossil fuel burning were challenging, reversing course was likely to be impossible once on the path to a hothouse Earth, even if emissions were eventually slashed. It was difficult to predict when climate tipping points would be triggered, making precaution vital, said Dr Christopher Wolf, a scientist at Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Associates in the US."

The world is approaching a point of no return after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped. Continued warming can trigger climate tipping points that cascade into further tipping points and feedbacks, locking the planet into a hothouse Earth far worse than the currently projected 2-3°C rise. The climate would become very different from the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years that allowed human civilisation to develop. At 1.3°C, extreme weather already kills people and destroys livelihoods; at 3-4°C, economy and society will cease to function in familiar ways. Rapid, immediate cuts to fossil fuel burning are essential because reversal may become impossible once a hothouse trajectory begins. Tipping points are difficult to predict, making precaution vital. Global temperatures are likely as warm as, or warmer than, at any point in the last 125,000 years.

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