Mass Coral Die-Offs Confirm First Breach of a Major Climate Tipping Point

It's official: we no longer live on a planet with temperatures that can sustain warm-water coral reefs.

This is the first of many fragile Earth systems set to topple as human activities continue to stoke our planet's fever , the 2025 Global Tipping Points Report warns.

Mass reef dieback occurs at an estimated 1.2 °C warming above preindustrial averages, a point the report – involving 160 scientists across 23 countries – confirms we're well beyond.

"I recognize that engaging with tipping points and talking about these risks is emotionally challenging," University of Oslo sociologist Manjana Milkoreit, who contributed to the report, told ScienceAlert. "Maybe the most important but also most difficult thing anybody can do is not to turn away and ignore this problem."

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