{"id":426014,"date":"2026-02-13T14:59:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T13:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=426014"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:34:28","slug":"guardian-claims-were-still-only-approaching-the-climate-point-of-no-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=426014","title":{"rendered":"Guardian Claims We\u2019re Still Only Approaching the Climate Point of No Return"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by<\/strong> Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"World<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Please, please, let’s cross one of these imaginary tipping points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Point of no return: a hellish \u2018hothouse Earth\u2019 getting closer, scientists say<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continued global heating could set irreversible course by triggering climate tipping points, but most people unaware<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damian Carrington<\/a>
Environment editor Thu 12 Feb 2026 03.00 AEDT<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The world is closer than thought to a \u201cpoint of no return\u201d after which runaway global heating cannot be stopped, scientists have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continued global heating could trigger climate tipping points, leading to a cascade of further tipping points and feedback loops, they said. This would lock the world into a new and hellish \u201chothouse Earth\u201d climate far worse than the 2-3C temperature rise the world is on track to reach<\/a>. The climate would also be very different to the benign conditions of the past 11,000 years, during which the whole of human civilisation developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At just 1.3C of global heating in recent years, extreme weather is already taking lives<\/a> and destroying livelihoods across the globe. At 3-4C, \u201cthe economy and society will cease to function<\/a> as we know it\u201d, scientists said last week, but a hothouse Earth would be even more fiery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public and politicians were largely unaware of the risk of passing the point of no return, the researchers said. The group said they were issuing their warning because while rapid and immediate cuts to fossil fuel burning were challenging, reversing course was likely to be impossible once on the path to a hothouse Earth, even if emissions were eventually slashed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2026\/feb\/11\/point-of-no-return-hothouse-earth-global-heating-climate-tipping-points<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This is nonsense. We already know with absolute certainty from paleo evidence that 3-4C global warming does not represent the end of economic activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That evidence is the PETM. CO2 levels during the PETM may have been as high as 2520ppm<\/a> \u2013 6x higher than today. There is no evidence life suffered during the PETM, quite the opposite. The Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum<\/a>, 5-8C hotter than today, was the age of monkeys<\/strong>. Our mostly fruit eating monkey ancestors thrived on the abundance of the hothouse PETM, and colonised much of the world<\/a>, only retreating when the cold returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a bunch of monkey ancestors with brains the size of match boxes prospered in such conditions, then we could definitely cope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fish also did well during the PETM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Study: Ancient Fish Thrived During PETM Extreme Global Warming<\/a><\/blockquote>