Leveraging positive tipping points in the race to net zero

Triggering positive tipping points – where crossing a critical threshold leads to a self-propelling shift to a new system state – may play a crucial role in rapidly accelerating emissions reductions. Recent breakthroughs in the uptake of solar and wind power, battery storage and electric vehicles in leading markets suggest that change at the pace and scale needed is possible. This paper introduces the concept of positive tipping points and its implications for climate policymaking, setting out the dynamics that enable such systems transformations, and taking stock of the enabling conditions and policy measures that can lead to rapid change. Through operationalising the positive tipping points concept, policymakers can better direct policy efforts, leveraging the potential for tipping cascades – where crossing a tipping point in one system pushes other systems past tipping thresholds – while managing potential unintended consequences.