Positive Tipping Points in Technology, Economy, and Society

“Negative” tipping points in our climate system are rapidly approaching. Early warning signals for many systems like global ocean currents are showing “critical slowing down” warning signs that they are losing resilience and could soon change our planet. Hysterisis means that once tipped by the accelerating warming, a cooling may not reverse things for centuries to millennia.

What do we do?

Our only chance is positive tipping points. I’ve often talked about “my three legged barstool approach”: 1) slash fossil fuel emissions; 2) deploy Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR); also for methane, and 3) Deploy Solar Radiation Management (SRM) to cool the planet to buy us time, by stopping tipping, to do 1) and 2).

This report kind of ignores SRM. That’s why you need to read Gwynne Dyers new book “Intervention Earth”. I like how he says SRM is an accountants term.

I propose a new acronym, for the very first time, here in my video.

We need to call it SOS. Yes, for Save Our Souls. Also standing for:

Solar Optimizing Systems — SOS’s
Solar Optimization Systems — SOS’s
Solar Optimizing Solutions — SOS’s
Solar Optimization Solutions — SOS’s

We have changed the chemistry of our atmosphere and oceans and destabilized our planetary systems.

Now, we need to save ourselves. We need SOS systems to rebalance our energy flows and maintain a liveable planet.

Frankly, it is our only option.

My bills this month are unexpected and huge:(

[PaulHBeckwith]

“Negative” tipping points in our climate system are rapidly approaching. Early warning signals for many systems like global ocean currents are showing “critical slowing down” warning signs that they are losing resilience and could soon change our planet. Hysterisis means that once tipped by the accelerating warming, a cooling may not reverse things for centuries to millennia.

What do we do?

Our only chance is positive tipping points. I’ve often talked about “my three legged barstool approach”: 1) slash fossil fuel emissions; 2) deploy Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR); also for methane, and 3) Deploy Solar Radiation Management (SRM) to cool the planet to buy us time, by stopping tipping, to do 1) and 2).

This report kind of ignores SRM. That’s why you need to read Gwynne Dyers new book “Intervention Earth”. I like how he says SRM is an accountants term.

I propose a new acronym, for the very first time, here in my video.

We need to call it SOS. Yes, for Save Our Souls. Also standing for:

Solar Optimizing Systems — SOS’s
Solar Optimization Systems — SOS’s
Solar Optimizing Solutions — SOS’s
Solar Optimization Solutions — SOS’s

We have changed the chemistry of our atmosphere and oceans and destabilized our planetary systems.

Now, we need to save ourselves. We need SOS systems to rebalance our energy flows and maintain a liveable planet.

Frankly, it is our only option.


My bills this month are unexpected and huge:(

[timveromusic]

Paul’s comment on cars is the most important I think. The impact of our addiction to personal transport is huge and if I was a scholar I would try and quantify it… but I’m not . If we all asked ourselves the question “ what are we willing to give up?” and came up with the answer CARS, I think a positive tipping point could occur.

[Livingthewild]

When you look at the state of Earth's ecology, rather than a single - minded focus on climate disruption, you realize how truly screwed we are. But, if you prefer to side step bad news, avoid life sciences.

[ronaldcadorette]

When I was very young, up to the age of 10, I was a ‘nature boy’. Then we went to France, my father was Air
Force, for four years. I got to see all of Europe, and I was appalled, environmentally, by what I saw. After coming back to Canada, I knew back then that we would be in big trouble, in my lifetime. I’m 74 and what I predicted, is happening. BTW, we have no children for a reason!

[rdallas]

Hello.
I'm Paul Beckwith.
CLASSIC! 🕶 😎

[ExtinctionLife]

Paul, don't you honestly think for all practical purposes we've already crossed multiple tipping points and it's taboo to actually say it out loud?

[christill]

Certainly I liked hearing about SOS, cycling, ending car ownership and so on. But I just don’t agree about green growth economics. I think degrowth is the only model that makes sense.

[worldbridgerone]

Thank you Paul. Our grassroots youth climate action group is taking a lot of inspiration and direction from your podcast reports . ❤

[green_genie]

I feel like I just spent 38mins stuck in a hopium den. It felt so nice in there then I went back out into the real world.

[martiansoon]

Hydrogen when burned makes water. But when you vent it out by itself, it combines with other molecules and makes ghg's like methane CH4.

Some estimates says that hydrogen is 100-times worse than CO2 by its secodary emissions in 10-years timescale. Also hydrogen vents through most materials and even the smallest gaps. Check space industry that has its own problems with this small atom... Hydrogen also effects higher atmosphere due to its light weight, so its reactions happens often in higher elevations and therefore the ghg's produced stays longer in the atmosphere. So, even with green hydrogen we end up with similar kind of problems that methane has. Simply too many ghg levels rising emissions.

[TTTzzzz]

Get rid of luxury which is by definition superfluous.

[randyrapaport]

We are obviously in runaway now …not much time left. Young children are the LAST generation. Most will not live a long life…We should literally stop having children.

[EmeraldView]

I'm not really taken with this terminology. I think it just confuses things.

Not that it even matters at this point. Now we're just documenting our demise. Hopefully someone/thing will be around to benefit from it (even if that's alien archeologists or ones receiving our radio signals in some distant part of the galaxy).

[Spock_Rogers]

Thank you for keeping me more informed. 🕊️

[AKrn]

"Positive tipping points" sounds like a marketing company made it up like "amplified reversible feed back loops".
The first thing that came to mind when I heard S.O.S is "chipped beef on toast".
Looking forward to other topics.

[JimTiddark]

Way too late sir. I'm a Comanche man been on mother EARTH for 63 winters and I know with my soul we have 3-5 years before re think about the way we feed are still ??!!

[dylanthomasolseadog]

Paul, take note and remember to give me the credits for coining this terminology right here on this video: 'Scientific Hopium', the rationale process through science for developing hope in saving humans from their own self destructive processes triggered upon all spheres of life on Earth.

[narpaulheeralall]

Dr. Beckwith can you do a show on the NASA Earth Observatory report that the earth is becoming greener, by 5% over the last two decades

[barbaraschlumberger]

I am SO impressed at your sincerity and hard work. Unfortunately it feels like pushing the river. So sad. But Deep appreciation. ❤

[WoodstockG]

From the Kootenay’s. Appreciate all your efforts. I live in a community that still doesn’t get it. A big disconnect. It’s so bad, I’m contemplating moving back to the city.