Overview

• More than 80–84% of the world’s warm‑water reefs were hit by the 2023–25 global bleaching event, described as the most widespread and intense on record.
• The report estimates a coral tipping threshold between about 1.0°C and 1.5°C of warming, centered near 1.2°C, while current global heating is around 1.3–1.4°C.
• Scientists warn of rising risks to other systems, including Amazon dieback, destabilization of Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, and potential disruption of the AMOC.
• Authors urge rapid emissions cuts, including reductions in methane and black carbon, expansion of carbon removal, and governance reforms, alongside local reef protections and refugia.
• The assessment notes accelerating clean‑energy ‘positive tipping’ as renewables and electric vehicles scale, even as current national policies point to roughly 3.1°C of warming this century and some experts highlight regional coral resilience.