GSI Workshop: Positive Tipping Points: Professor Tim Lenton (GSI Director)

Researchers at the University of Exeter have highlighted the growing threat of “tipping points” that could cause irreversible changes in the Earth system and accelerate the climate crisis. However, there is growing evidence that the same tipping point dynamics can occur in social and economic systems, triggering rapid changes in our societies.
This workshop will begin with a short introductory talk from Professor Tim Lenton highlighting a few examples of positive social tipping points that could lead to rapid, transformational decarbonisation. Some of these tipping points are already well underway, such as the decline of coal and rise of wind energy in the UK, while others are still on the horizon. Crucially, we may be able to help trigger positive tipping points deliberately with the right policies and initiatives. After this introduction, we will move to active discussion with the aim of identifying and characterising other possible tipping points that could be triggered to accelerate global decarbonisation.