Greenland Ice Sheet Nearing Point of No Return, Warns Study

A new study using simulations identified two tipping points for the Greenland Ice Sheet: releasing 1000 gigatons of carbon into the atmosphere will cause the southern portion of the ice sheet to melt; about 2500 gigatons of carbon means permanent loss of nearly the entire ice sheet. Having emitted about 500 gigatons of carbon, we're about halfway to the first tipping point. The study warns that the first tipping point is not far from today's climate conditions, and once we start sliding, we will fall off this cliff and cannot climb back up.