I have often thought that every editorial I write for World Aquaculture could be about the effects of climate change on aquaculture, given its importance as an existential threat to our future on this planet. I have restrained myself so as not to be either boring or a purveyor of doom. However, current events and news releases of ongoing studies have raised my level of alarm once again. The Stockholm Resilience Center has reported that the world is at risk of passing five dangerous climate tipping points if global temperatures rise above 1.5 C. These include collapse of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, widespread abrupt permafrost thaw, collapse of the Labrador Sea subpolar gyre and massive die-off of tropical coral reefs. The number oftipping points has increased from 9 to 16. The study concluded that we may have already left the safe operating space for humanity. Surpassing more tipping points escalates the risk of further climate destabilization. A recent study in Nature Climate Change concluded that a minimum sea-level rise of 27 cm in the next 100-150 years from melting of the Greenland ice sheets is now inevitable given the emissions that have already occurred and regardless of any actions taken now to avert further climate change. Many climate scientists believe that multi-meter sea level rise in the next 100-200 years is likely.
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