A group of seven researchers has warned of the urgent need for action to prevent a catastrophic threat to civilization as they published a commentary in the journal Nature ahead of the COP25 climate change summit in Madrid. The researchers emphasized that irreversible changes to the Earth's environmental systems are already underway, putting us in a state of planetary emergency. They identified a global tipping point as the threshold beyond which the planet's systems pass the point of no return, citing examples such as the loss of the Amazon rainforest, accelerated melting of ice sheets, and thawing of permafrost. The scientists warned that such a collapse could result in 'hothouse' conditions that would render some areas uninhabitable. They stressed that the time left for intervention to prevent tipping has likely shortened significantly, while achieving net zero emissions would require at least 30 years. 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 currently 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 these events are interconnected and changes in one area will impact others, leading to a worsening 'cascade' of crises. Regional warming is causing Arctic permafrost to thaw, releasing carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. This warming has also led to insect disturbances and fires in North American boreal forests, potentially changing some regions from a carbon sink to a carbon source. Researchers have found that the climate is more sensitive than previously believed, with the possibility of a global tipping point. Last year's research analyzed various regime shifts, including the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet and the transformation of rainforests into savannas. The text suggests that surpassing tipping points in one system can heighten the likelihood of surpassing them in other systems. A photo shows an offering to Kota Mama on a dried lake affected by climate change in Bolivia. The concept of a climate tipping point has been around for 20 years, introduced by the IPCC, which stated that major disruptions would occur if global warming surpassed 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate scientists have stated that data from the two most recent IPCC reports in 2018 and September 2019 indicate that tipping points could occur with as little as 1 to 2 degrees Celsius of warming. Currently, global average temperatures are approximately 1 degree Celsius higher than they were during the pre-industrial era, and they are continuing to increase.