Overview

• The Global Tipping Points 2025 assessment, led by the University of Exeter with PIK and partners, concludes warm‑water coral reefs have exceeded their thermal limit at roughly 1.3–1.4°C of warming, leaving a greater than 99% risk of collapse.
• Even stabilizing global temperature at 1.5°C would offer almost no chance of survival for tropical reefs, with only small, heat‑resistant refuges expected to persist.
• Scientists cite unprecedented ocean heat and the largest recorded mass bleaching, which has reached more than 80% of reefs worldwide.
• The report warns other tipping elements are approaching critical thresholds, including Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, a potential slowdown or collapse of the AMOC, and possible Amazon rainforest dieback.
• Authors call for immediate emissions cuts, faster deployment of carbon removal, and stronger global governance ahead of COP30, while noting positive tipping dynamics in rapidly scaling solar, wind, and electric vehicles.