A group of seven researchers has warned of the urgent need for action to prevent irreversible environmental changes that could pose a threat to civilization. They published their findings in the journal Nature ahead of the COP25 climate change summit in Madrid, stating that the Earth is in a 'state of planetary emergency'. The scientists explain that reaching a global tipping point could result in catastrophic conditions, such as the loss of the Amazon rainforest and accelerated melting of ice sheets. They emphasize the importance of acting quickly to prevent reaching this point, as the time for intervention may be running out. The team, led by Timothy Lenton, professor of climate change and Earth system science at the University of Exeter, identified nine areas where tipping points are already occurring. A file photo shows a boat and a bicycle on the dried lake Poopo in the Oruro Department, Bolivia, affected by climate change on Dec 16, 2017. These tipping points include the destruction of the Amazon, reduction of Arctic sea ice, coral reef die-offs, melting of ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica, thawing of permafrost, destabilization of boreal forests, and a slowdown of ocean circulation. The scientists believe that these events are interconnected and changes in one area will impact another, leading to a worsening 'cascade' of crises. The study found that regional warming is causing Arctic permafrost to thaw, releasing carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. This has led to insect disturbances and fires in North American boreal forests, potentially changing some regions from a carbon sink to a carbon source. Researchers suggest that the climate is more sensitive than previously thought and a global tipping point may be possible. Last year's research looked at various regime shifts in physical climate and ecological systems. The text suggests that surpassing tipping points in one system can heighten the likelihood of surpassing them in others. The concept of a climate tipping point has been around for 20 years, introduced by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. At that time, the UN proposed that significant disruptions would only occur if global warming reached 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate scientists have stated that data from the two most recent IPCC reports, published in 2018 and September 2019, indicate that tipping points could occur with a temperature increase of between 1 degree Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius. Currently, global average temperatures are approximately 1 degree Celsius higher than they were in the pre-industrial era and are still increasing.