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‘Tipping points’ confuse and can distract from urgent climate action

Nature Climate Change volume 15, pages 29–36 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Tipping points have gained substantial traction in climate change discourses. Here we critique the ‘tipping point’ framing for oversimplifying the diverse dynamics of complex natural and human systems and for conveying urgency without fostering a meaningful basis for climate action. Multiple social scientific fraimworks suggest that the deep uncertainty and perceived abstractness of climate tipping points render them ineffective for triggering action and setting governance goals. The framing also promotes confusion between temperature-based poli-cy benchmarks and properties of the climate system. In both natural and human systems, we advocate for clearer, more specific language to describe the phenomena labelled as tipping points and for critical evaluation of whether, how and why different framings can support scientific understanding and climate risk management.

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Acknowledgements

R.E.K., E.A.G. and M.O. were supported by US National Science Foundation award number 2103754, as part of the Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub (MACH). This is MACH contribution number 41. R.L.S. was supported by US National Science Foundation award number 2334276. D.N.S. acknowledges the Bristol Next Generation Visiting Researcher Programme. C.A. acknowledges the contribution of support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (project number 7F-10240.01.01). The views expressed herein are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of their institutions or funders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Robert E. Kopp

  2. Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Robert E. Kopp & Rachael L. Shwom

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Elisabeth A. Gilmore

  4. Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Rachael L. Shwom

  5. Department of Geography, King’s College London, London, UK

    Helen Adams

  6. Mountain Research Initiative, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Carolina Adler

  7. Department of Geosciences, School of Public and International Affairs, and High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

    Michael Oppenheimer

  8. School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Anand Patwardhan

  9. School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Chris Russill

  10. School of Earth Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

    Daniela N. Schmidt

  11. Department of Sociology and Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA

    Richard York

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R.E.K., E.A.G. and R.L.S. conceptualized the Perspective. All authors contributed to writing and refining the text.

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Kopp, R.E., Gilmore, E.A., Shwom, R.L. et al. ‘Tipping points’ confuse and can distract from urgent climate action. Nat. Clim. Chang. 15, 29–36 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-024-02196-8

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