Since steam engineer Guy Callendar made the connection between increased use of fossil fuels and global warming in 1938, it has been evident that the Earth is undergoing a rapid transformation at the hands of humans. We have cut down forests, polluted the air, and shaped the face of our planet to suit our needs. This way of living is not sustainable, and if nothing changes we will no longer have the pleasure of living in harmony with the planet that has provided for life over billions of years. Climate change is inevitable: the Earth cycles through periods of cooling and warming. However, the transition at hand is not merely a natural fluctuation—it’s the harmful consequence of human actions. If we are to solve this crisis, we must first understand it.
Beginning in 2005, climate scientists began to use the term “tipping point,” inspired by the title of Malcom Gladwell’s book published in 2000, to describe “critical thresholds in a system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, often with an understanding that the change is irreversible,” as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) puts it. These “tipping points” include the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, the thawing of Earth’s permafrost layer, the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the change in current monsoon cycles, and the death of coral reefs. These phenomena, which have been identified by the IPCC, are very likely to occur by the end of this century. In fact, during October, many news stations began reporting on a concerning development: the first climate tipping point has been reached, and the world’s coral reefs have faced mass destruction across the world.
The Global Tipping Points Report from 2025, compiled by the University of Exeter, stated, “warm-water coral reefs are virtually certain (>99% probability) to tip, given the upper range of their thermal tipping point is 1.5° Celsius.” This means that by surpassing this tipping point, coral reefs will no longer be able to survive and will undergo bleaching around the globe, leading to the collapse of natural processes. This will be followed by the decimation of the many species that find refuge in these habitats and disastrous consequences for mankind and human industry. The oceans have currently warmed to 1.2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and although that is lower than the threshold stated by many environmental scientists, Scientific American estimates over 84% of corals have been bleached, a clear indicator of the detrimental climate change we are facing. Without drastic efforts, we will not be able to save coral reefs.
In spite of all of this daunting and negative news, we have much reason to hope for our planet’s future. If people go out into their neighborhoods and take a look around, it is apparent that no matter the environment, we live on a remarkable planet. We, as teenagers, have immense power to shape the future policies and societal values that govern the actions the world takes toward preserving the environment.
