Anna and Tim Lenton discuss the potentially disastrous impacts of crossing ‘climate tipping points’, and how the triggering of such tipping points can be avoided.
Audio
Published 19 December 2025 — 30 minute listen
Tim Lenton
Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science, University of Exeter
In the final episode of the year, Anna speaks to Professor Tim Lenton (Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter) about climate tipping points – the thresholds where a tiny change could lead to large and often irreversible transformations in the Earth system, with p…
Anna and Tim Lenton discuss the potentially disastrous impacts of crossing ‘climate tipping points’, and how the triggering of such tipping points can be avoided.
Audio
Published 19 December 2025 — 30 minute listen
Tim Lenton
Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science, University of Exeter
In the final episode of the year, Anna speaks to Professor Tim Lenton (Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science at the University of Exeter) about climate tipping points – the thresholds where a tiny change could lead to large and often irreversible transformations in the Earth system, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Examples of such ‘negative’ tipping points include the dieback of the Amazon rainforest, the melting of the Greenland icesheet, and the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). But not all tipping points are bad. In the interview, Anna and Tim also discuss how the triggering of ‘positive tipping points’ within human societies could lead to rapid decarbonization.
For further reading, please see:
- Tim Lenton’s book: Positive Tipping Points: How to Fix the Climate Crisis.
- Tim Lenton’s article for Chatham House’s The World Today: ‘Why some tipping points may be positive for the planet’
About The Climate Briefing
The Climate Briefing explores key themes in the UN climate negotiations and international climate politics. The podcast is hosted by Bhargabi Bharadwaj and Anna Aberg from Chatham House and features interviewees from governments, international organizations, academia and civil society organizations from across the world.
You can also listen to The Climate Briefing on Apple Podcasts and Spotify