tipping points

Noun

tipping point (plural tipping points)

1. (broadly, figuratively, catastrophe theory) The point at which a slow, reversible change becomes irreversible, often with dramatic consequences.
2. A point in time when a group rapidly and dramatically changes its behavior by widely adopting a previously rare practice.
   1. The point in time at which some new technology becomes mainstream.
3. An irreversible change in the climate system.
   • It is a scenario climate scientists have feared since first identifying "tipping points" - delicate thresholds where a slight rise in the Earth's temperature can cause a dramatic change in the environment that itself triggers a far greater increase in global temperatures.2005 August 11, Ian Sample, “Warming hits 'tipping point'”, in The Guardian