In the article titled “Real action on climate change is needed now in B.C. and at Copenhagen” the author, Bill Henderson, uses the term “tipping point” when speaking about climate change. Henderson uses the term in a misrepresentative manner, which can lead to confusion and leave room for ambiguity.
The author uses “tipping point” in his article when he says “what action do we have to take globally at Copenhagen so as to not go over the tipping point of a melting Arctic ice cap or methane-producing melting permafrost or a drying Amazon?” It is evident that he is confused over the definition of the tipping point. Henderson lists positive feedback loops when using the term, which are a result of rising global temperatures and may cause the effect of a tipping point but that is not the meaning of the term.
Cambridge Dictionaries online defines tipping point as the time at which a change or an effect cannot be stopped. When using this term regarding climate change it can refer to a point in time where climate change will be irreversible. It becomes irreversible due to the fact that so many positive feedback loops will have taken effect that theoretically, it would be impossible to reduce carbon emissions efficiently enough to lessen climate change. The author uses the term to describe the triggering of positive feedback loops, which are reversible. If global temperatures decline the ice will form again, the permafrost will stay frozen, and the Amazon will continue to thrive, while if we cross this tipping point global temperatures will rise continually and at a greater rate due to these positive feedback loops. Henderson had the right idea when describing the tipping point as an irreversible event however his interpretation of tipping points was as the effects of feedback loops when in reality they are the causes.
I believe that the point the author is trying to make when using the term tipping point is that strong action against climate change is imperative. If we allow global temperatures to rise then the tipping point will be triggered causing an irreversible effect. We have a small window of opportunity and once that window is shut there is no going back.
The term tipping point used by Henderson could have caused some misunderstanding although his point that action on climate change should be immediate was still clear. The author’s use of the term implied that the tipping point causes positive feedback loops when in reality the positive feedback loops are the causes of the tipping point and not the effects.
References:
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Web. 28 Oct. 2009.
Henderson, Bill. "Real action on climate change is needed now in B.C. and at
Copenhagen | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com." Homepage | Straight.com. 23 Oct.
2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2009.
change-needed-now-bc-and-copenhagen>.
It seems to me that there may be multiple tipping points. When the Arctic sea ice melts completely, a tipping point is crossed, for no matter what we do to ameliorate the climate, the sea ice will never go back to the way it was before, at least within our lifetime. When enough of these tipping points are surpassed, the positive feedback becomes too great for the system to handle, and a major tipping point event - that for the entire earth-climate system - occurs.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that, according to you, the author has misunderstood the meaning of the phrase they used. If the author doesn't understand the meaning, the reader could misunderstand what the author means in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHi Filip,
ReplyDeletethere are time lags in the Earth's carbon cycle and there is some not presently quantifiable possibility of 'geo-engineering' so where the tipping points to runaway warming are is presently open.
Hansen et el though are clear about what they mean by a 'tipping point' and by a 'point of no return'. This frame won't allow me to cut and paste (?) from TARGET ATMOSPHERIC CO2 but you can easily find the relevant paragraph by googling. (or I can send in e-mail- Bill@pacificfringe.net)
But isn't this just symentics considering the tragedy that is going to happen to you and your world? If you read the science citations in my climate change op-eds you will awaken to our emergency plight and then you might consider whether cancelling the olympics to send a signal about the seriousness of climate change is worth debating,
Bill