Global Warming Is Accelerating, Earth’s Ecosystems Near Critical Tipping Points

LONDON — Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Director Johan Rockström has warned that global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions is accelerating. This is pushing several of the Earth’s vital ecosystems towards critical tipping points that could trigger permanent damage.

Speaking at the Reuters Sustainability Europe conference on Tuesday (20 October 2026), Rockström said damage to coral reefs and the Amazon rainforest was nearing an irreversible stage. Some parts of the Atlantic Ocean circulation system are also approaching collapse, including currents that carry warm water from the Caribbean and help keep the climate of Western Europe mild.

At the conference, held ahead of the UN climate change conference (COP31), which is due to begin in Türkiye on 9 November, Rockström said the latest scientific research confirms that global average surface temperatures could exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the coming years. This is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather.

Rockström stressed that companies need to integrate their climate and nature-conservation agendas to strengthen operational resilience against climate-change risks. He said this integration was crucial to the sustainability of industry.

“Companies that want to prepare and build resilience into their operations must treat climate and nature as one integrated agenda, not as two separate issues,” he said.

In addition to prioritising decarbonisation, companies should invest in nature conservation, he said. Such investment should focus particularly on projects that protect or restore biodiversity and preserve and rebuild freshwater reserves.

Rockström also expressed concern about lobbying efforts to loosen rules phasing out internal-combustion-engine vehicles. He said subsidies for petrol and diesel could weaken consumer demand for electric vehicles and potentially hinder efforts to reduce emissions from transport.

“It is deeply troubling to see lobbying efforts to loosen the rules phasing out internal-combustion-engine vehicles,” he said.

The warning comes as countries prepare for COP31 in Türkiye, an important forum for discussing global measures to cut emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures.