(MENAFN) Escalating planetary temperatures are pushing Earth's climate tipping points dangerously close to critical thresholds that could unleash irreversible environmental catastrophes, according to Levent Kurnaz, director of Bogazici University's Center for Climate Change and Policy Research.

"As global warming raises the average atmospheric temperature, it weakens the planet's tipping points by reducing their thresholds," Kurnaz told Anadolu, warning: "A current still keeps Greenland relatively cold. On temperature maps, that area consistently appears cooler, but if it begins to warm, the heating of Greenland will accelerate rapidly and the ice sheet could collapse."

His analysis follows publication of the Global Tipping Points Report 2025, coordinated by the University of Exeter's Global Systems Institute with contributions from 160 researchers across 23 countries. The assessment identifies mounting dangers to coral reefs, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), mountain glaciers, and the Amazon rainforest.

Kurnaz observed that planetary temperatures have already climbed approximately 1.5C (34.7F) and cautioned that surpassing this benchmark could eradicate coral reefs completely. He further warned that reaching 3C (37.4F) could destabilize the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, potentially elevating worldwide sea levels by roughly seven meters.

"The AMOC system, known as the Gulf Stream, has already started to weaken. Many scientists believe it could collapse even before global warming reaches five degrees (41F), possibly as early as 2 to 2.5 degrees (35.6F to 36.5F)," Kurnaz said.

Noting that glaciers in the Himalayas, Alps, and Andes are already melting and that the Amazon rainforest could disappear entirely at around 4.5C (40.1F) of warming, Kurnaz added: "All these processes can reinforce each other, leading to faster and more severe tipping point events than expected."

He stressed that dismantling these ecosystems would produce permanent ramifications, stating: "If we lose the Amazon or the methane trapped in permafrost, there is no way to bring them back."

Kurnaz cautioned that such developments could disrupt global air circulation, trigger extreme heat and cold waves, cause severe water shortages, and lead to mass migration, particularly from South Asia toward Türkiye.

The scientist underscored that averting such catastrophes demands complete elimination of fossil fuel consumption. "Even if we completely stopped emitting carbon dioxide today, we would still face some of these disasters. But as long as we keep burning coal, oil, and natural gas, we are guaranteeing a much worse future," he said.

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