Climate tipping elements are large-scale subsystems of the Earth that may possess critical thresholds (tipping points). While recent scientific efforts have improved our knowledge of individual tipping elements, interactions between them are less well understood. Also, the potential of individual tipping events to induce cascading transitions, or stabilize other tipping elements is largely unknown.

In this presentation, I will delve into the latest scientific findings regarding climate tipping elements, their interconnections, and the associated risks of cascading transitions under current global warming trajectories. Specifically, I will spotlight tropical ecosystems, which possess the ability to adapt to environmental shifts while they also generate their rainfall through moisture recycling, thus maintaining a crucial self-sustaining cycle. This intricate balance between adaptability and self-reliance manifests differently across various tropical ecosystems worldwide, influenced by the network structure of moisture recycling, and may, consequently, impact their tipping risks.