Climate System Reaching Tipping Points as Denialism Burns to a Crisp
June 2023 saw multiple extreme climate events, including record-breaking heat, vanishing polar ice, and widespread wildfires, indicating that certain parts of the climate system may be reaching tipping points. The reflective polar ice caps are at their lowest extent on record, with the sea ice around Antarctica at a record-low extent. The Arctic experienced one of the largest June melt events ever recorded, and June 2023 was the hottest June ever measured. Oceans set records for warmth, and forest areas the size of Kentucky burned in Canada. These extremes could be early warnings of tipping points towards different weather or sea ice regimes. The tropical Pacific Ocean is shifting into the warm El Niño phase, which could further increase temperatures and trigger more extreme heat globally.