Planet’s life-support systems close to tipping point, say scientists, and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week

The world sits at the brink of a series of environmental tipping points, which could send water supplies and other critical planetary systems into a spiral of irreversible damage, the UN University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) warns.

Six interconnected tipping points caused by the climate crisis and human exploitation of natural resources, could form a trigger for sudden changes in planetary life-support systems and undermine the foundations of societies.

“Once these thresholds are passed, the system fails to function as it normally would, and you get new risks cascading out, and these new risks can transfer to other systems,” Jack O’Connor, the report’s lead author told Reuters.

Major linked threats identified in the UNU-EHS’ 2023 Interconnected Disaster Risks report, are accelerating extinction rates, groundwater depletion, glacial melting and extreme heat.

One million plants and animals could be lost within decades, the report warns, with the extinction of key species causing a domino effect on dependent species and increasing the likelihood of ecosystem collapse.

“We should be expecting these things to happen because in certain areas they are happening already,” said O’Connor.

Melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will continue throughout this century, regardless of action to combat climate change, according to a study by the British Antarctic Survey.

Accelerated melting of the ice sheet – Antarctica’s biggest contributor to sea level rise – is unavoidable as warming ocean waters in the Amundsen Sea erode ice shelves, adding to sea-level increases in the decades ahead.

Ice shelves bordering the sea act as a buffer, protecting ice further inland. Once they erode, inland ice is exposed, causing it to melt more quickly.

Five modelled scenarios at different global warming temperatures, show significant and widespread future warming of the Amundsen Sea, increasing ice melting.

“It looks like we’ve lost control of melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. If we wanted to preserve it in its historical state, we would have needed action on climate change decades ago. The bright side is that by recognizing this situation in advance, the world will have more time to adapt to the sea-level rise that’s coming,” said Dr Kaitlin Naughten, British Antarctic Survey researcher and lead author of the study.

Even if global temperatures remain within the Paris Agreement’s best-case scenario of 1.5°C, there will be a three-fold increase in melting compared to during the 20th century, notes the study, which was published in Nature Climate Change.

Global pledges to halt deforestation by 2030 are far off-track, according to a report by a coalition of environmental concerns. Despite more than 140 countries agreeing to reverse forest canopy loss, destruction worsened in 2022. WWF, on the same day, in its Forest Pathways Report, stressed the need to put into action the global goals we already have. It states we must tackle the systemic threats to forests, deliver the funding needed to protect and restore them, and bring national policies in line with global commitments.

New research shows that forest loss caused from South East Asia’s rubber industry likely 2 to 3 times higher than originally thought, Reuters reports.

Hurricane Otis struck the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco killing at least 27 people and causing billions in damage, government officials said. It is one of the most powerful storms known to have hit the country.

The EU voted to halve pesticide use by 2030 and to curb the use of more hazardous products by 65%, compared to the average from 2013 to 2017, the European Parliament said.

Antarctica’s icy wastelands were once home to life-rich rivers and forests, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The forgotten world buried beneath the ice was revealed using satellite observations and ice-penetrating radar.

A rare emperor penguin chick has hatched at SeaWorld San Diego for the first time in 13 years. Native to Antarctica and listed as an endangered species, the new female joins 17 of the breed, which live in a purpose-built -5°C environment at the marine park and zoo.

Northern China’s Tangshan steel production hub is set to launch a level-2 emergency response to mitigate forecasts of heavy air pollution, Reuters reports. Local steel mills will be required to curb production until the restrictions are lifted.

A new State of Nature Tech report was released by environmental coalition Nature4Climate highlighting case studies and examples of innovations and solutions that address the dual challenges of nature loss and climate change.

Sound recordings and AI are being used to track progress on restoring biodiversity in tropical forests. Scientists use a combination of acoustic monitoring and DNA-based surveys to see if species are returning to regenerated forests.

Tropical glaciers are found in high mountain ranges within the tropics, where low temperatures turn rain into snow, but the few remaining examples are shrinking. Here’s why.

The EU has announced a “declaration on cycling”, which promised new funding and policy support to promote cycling as an activity, the bloc’s cycling industry and curb emissions to help reach net zero.

Living near green spaces has been linked to improved cellular health, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. However, the health benefits of green spaces do not make up for negative environmental impacts like air pollution.