On the Origin of Planetary-Scale Tipping Points

* Article: On the Origin of Planetary-Scale Tipping Points. By Timothy M. Lenton and Hywel T.P. Williams. Part of Focus Issue: Is there a global tipping point for planet Earth? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 28, Issue 7, July 2013, Pages 380-382 doi

URL = https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169534713001456

Abstract

"Tipping Points are recognized in many systems, including ecosystems and elements of the climate system. But can the biosphere as a whole tip and, if so, how? Past global tipping points were rare and occurred in the coupled planetary-scale dynamics of the Earth system, not in the local-scale dynamics of its weakly interacting component ecosystems. Yet, evolutionary innovations have triggered past global transformations, suggesting that tipping point theory needs to go beyond bifurcations and networks to include evolution."