In climate research, tipping elements ("Tipping Elements") refer to components of the Earth system that, when changes occur within the climate system, can reach a point ("tipping point") at which they are shifted into a qualitatively new state. Climate tipping points are therefore thresholds within the climate system, beyond which drastic changes occur. (Temperature) changes are bringing us ever closer to these points. Once a tipping point has been reached, reversal is nearly impossible. 

Well-known tipping elements include, for example, the melting of ice sheets, the die-off of the Amazon rainforest, or the collapse of the Atlantic overturning circulation. Once the first tipping points are reached, a domino effect can also occur, triggering further tipping points. 

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