Tag Archives: Tipping Point

The Domino Effect

Posted on August 21, 2018 by climatechangefork

Last week’s title was resolutely optimistic, drawing inspiration from the game of bridge and summing up the philosophy behind my teaching. After this summer, however, this attitude is a bit difficult to maintain. One thing I am constantly learning from … Continue reading →

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Publishers

Posted on March 18, 2014 by climatechangefork

My book, Climate Change: The Fork at the End of Now was published in the early summer of 2011. I wrote it as a textbook for the general public, and it was used mainly for general education – both in … Continue reading →

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The IPCC, the Burning House, and the 100% Tipping Point

Posted on October 15, 2013 by climatechangefork

Following the publication of the IPCC Working Group I’s 5th assessment report (AR5), I posted my own response (October 1). I addressed the issue of raising the confidence level of significant human contributions to climate change to 95% – or … Continue reading →

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The Terrain Part 1: Doing Nothing and Fixing Whatever Happens.

Posted on June 4, 2013 by climatechangefork

Some of the recent headlines illustrate the broad terrain of tradeoffs and consequences we must navigate in deciding the policies for Earth’s future, in which our children and grandchildren will have to live. This quote from ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, … Continue reading →

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Warning Signs and Tipping Points

Posted on May 28, 2013 by climatechangefork

Erica Goode’s recent article in the New York Times (NYT – March 15, 2013), “Focusing on Violence Before It Happens,” describes a growing effort to identify and prevent major catastrophic events such as school violence. Two paragraphs from the article … Continue reading →

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Jim Hansen’s Tipping Point

Posted on April 9, 2013 by climatechangefork

Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Little Brown – 2000) defines a Tipping Point as, “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” Since Gladwell’s publication, the term has been … Continue reading →

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Where is our Tipping Point?

Posted on January 21, 2013 by climatechangefork

The spring semester is about to start. I am preparing to teach a new course on Physics & Society. I was chatting about the new course with a friend – a distinguished physicist. His comment was – don’t “forget” to … Continue reading →

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Climate Change and the Nature of Science: The Carbon “Tipping Point” is Coming

Posted on June 25, 2012 by climatechangefork

The two attached pictures are schematic diagrams of the circulation of carbon on Earth (IPAA Report (2001) – the Carbon Cycle).  If I Google “Carbon Cycle Diagram” in the image mode, I get close to a million entries.  Most of … Continue reading →

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