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An interdisciplinary framework for navigating social–climatic tipping points

Graham, Sonia ; Wary, Melanie ; Calcagni, Fulvia ; Cisneros, Mercè ; de Luca, Claudia ; Gorostiza, Santiago LU orcid ; Stedje Hanserud, Ola ; Kallis, Giorgos ; Kotsila, Panagiota and Leipold, Sina , et al. (2023) In People and Nature 5(5). p.1445-1456
Abstract
To effectively navigate out of the climate crisis, a new interdisciplinary approach is needed to guide and facilitate research that integrates diverse understandings of how transitions evolve in intertwined social–environmental systems. The concept of tipping points, frequently used in the natural sciences and increasingly in the social sciences, can help elucidate processes underlying major social–environmental transitions. We develop the notion of interlinked ‘social–climatic tipping points’ in which desirability and intentionality are key constitutive features alongside stable states, feedbacks, reversibility and abruptness. We demonstrate the new insights that our interdisciplinary framework can provide by analysing the slowdown of the... (More)
To effectively navigate out of the climate crisis, a new interdisciplinary approach is needed to guide and facilitate research that integrates diverse understandings of how transitions evolve in intertwined social–environmental systems. The concept of tipping points, frequently used in the natural sciences and increasingly in the social sciences, can help elucidate processes underlying major social–environmental transitions. We develop the notion of interlinked ‘social–climatic tipping points’ in which desirability and intentionality are key constitutive features alongside stable states, feedbacks, reversibility and abruptness. We demonstrate the new insights that our interdisciplinary framework can provide by analysing the slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and associated flooding of the Ahr Valley in Germany as a social–climatic tipping point. This framework can enable more sustainable and equitable futures by prioritising social–climatic tipping points for interdisciplinary research, identifying opportunities for action, and evaluating the nuanced desirability and acceptability of proposed solutions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. (Less)
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
AMOC, climate adaptation, climate impacts, climate mitigation, interventions, transformation, turning points
in
People and Nature
volume
5
issue
5
pages
12 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85165929690
ISSN
2575-8314
DOI
10.1002/pan3.10516
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. People and Nature published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
id
b3a0924d-de7f-4356-83c1-6249375eaf23
date added to LUP
2025-06-12 13:42:19
date last changed
2025-06-18 08:12:41
@article{b3a0924d-de7f-4356-83c1-6249375eaf23,
  abstract     = {{To effectively navigate out of the climate crisis, a new interdisciplinary approach is needed to guide and facilitate research that integrates diverse understandings of how transitions evolve in intertwined social–environmental systems. The concept of tipping points, frequently used in the natural sciences and increasingly in the social sciences, can help elucidate processes underlying major social–environmental transitions. We develop the notion of interlinked ‘social–climatic tipping points’ in which desirability and intentionality are key constitutive features alongside stable states, feedbacks, reversibility and abruptness. We demonstrate the new insights that our interdisciplinary framework can provide by analysing the slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and associated flooding of the Ahr Valley in Germany as a social–climatic tipping point. This framework can enable more sustainable and equitable futures by prioritising social–climatic tipping points for interdisciplinary research, identifying opportunities for action, and evaluating the nuanced desirability and acceptability of proposed solutions. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.}},
  author       = {{Graham, Sonia and Wary, Melanie and Calcagni, Fulvia and Cisneros, Mercè and de Luca, Claudia and Gorostiza, Santiago and Stedje Hanserud, Ola and Kallis, Giorgos and Kotsila, Panagiota and Leipold, Sina and Malumbres-Olarte, Jagoba and Partridge, Tristan and Petit-Boix, Anna and Schaffartzik, Anke and Shokry, Galia and Tirado-Herrero, Sergio and van den Bergh, Jeroen and Ziveri, Patrizia}},
  issn         = {{2575-8314}},
  keywords     = {{AMOC; climate adaptation; climate impacts; climate mitigation; interventions; transformation; turning points}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{1445--1456}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{People and Nature}},
  title        = {{An interdisciplinary framework for navigating social–climatic tipping points}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10516}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/pan3.10516}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}