tipping point
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]First use of the term appears c. 1959 in the New York Times.
Noun
[edit]tipping point (plural tipping points)
- (mathematics, catastrophe theory, figuratively, by extension) The point at which a slow, reversible change becomes irreversible, often with dramatic consequences.
- (sociology) A point in time when a group rapidly and dramatically changes its behavior by widely adopting a previously rare practice.
- The point in time at which some new technology becomes mainstream.
- (climatology) An irreversible change in the climate system.
- Coordinate term: tipping element
- 2005 August 11, Ian Sample, “Warming hits 'tipping point'”, in The Guardian[1]:
- It is a scenario climate scientists have feared since first identifying "tipping points" - delicate thresholds where a slight rise in the Earth's temperature can cause a dramatic change in the environment that itself triggers a far greater increase in global temperatures.
- 2021 August 5, Damian Carrington, “Climate crisis: Scientists spot warning signs of Gulf Stream collapse”, in The Guardian[2]:
- Climate scientists have detected warning signs of the collapse of the Gulf Stream, one of the planet’s main potential tipping points.
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]the point at which a slow, reversible change becomes irreversible
|
irreversible change in the climate system
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See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]
tipping point (physics) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - tipping point (sociology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- tipping points in the climate system on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
