EXETER, ENGLAND ¨C With new evidence that catastrophic climate-change ¡°tipping points¡± are nearing ¡ª from surging sea levels as polar ice melts to spiking temperatures as methane escapes thawing permafrost ¡ª scientists are quietly planning for the unthinkable.
¡°Extreme climate change risks are under-explored,¡± Luke Kemp, a researcher with the Center for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, warned at a pioneering conference on the theme at the University of Exeter this week.
¡°Climate scholars have strong incentives to err on the side of least drama,¡± he noted. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be branded an alarmist.¡±
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