Articles | Volume 16, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-1267-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-1267-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 Aug 2025
Research article |
| 04 Aug 2025
| 04 Aug 2025
Beyond tipping points: risks, equity, and the ethics of intervention
Laura M. Pereira
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Steven R. Smith
Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, University of Surrey, Brighton, UK
Lauren Gifford
Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
Peter Newell
School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
Sebastian Villasante
EqualSea Lab-CRETUS, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Therezah Achieng
Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Azucena Castro
Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Department of Iberian and Latin American Cultures, Stanford University, Stanford, USA
Sara M. Constantino
School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University, Boston, USA
Tom Powell
Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Ashish Ghadiali
Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Ben Smith
Department of English, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
Coleen Vogel
Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Caroline Zimm
International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
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Sibel Eker, Timothy M. Lenton, Tom Powell, Jürgen Scheffran, Steven R. Smith, Deepthi Swamy, and Caroline Zimm
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Antony Philip Emenyu, Thomas Pienkowski, Andrew M. Cunliffe, Timothy M. Lenton, and Tom Powell
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2531, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2531, 2023
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Short summary
Earth system tipping points pose existential threats requiring urgent action. However, this imperative should neither increase risks nor perpetuate injustices. We argue that considerations of what needs to change, who is asked to change, and where the impacts will be felt and by whom are fundamental questions that need to be addressed in decision-making. Everyone has a role to play in ensuring that justice and equity are incorporated into actions towards a more sustainable future.
Earth system tipping points pose existential threats requiring urgent action. However, this...
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