And thus the University of Exeter proffers the first round of this year's "on the brink" specials.

The first tipping point is almost upon us, just like it was every year for the last 29 years in a row:

'New reality' as world reaches first climate tipping point
The world faces a "new reality" as we have reached the first of many Earth system tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action, according to a landmark report released today (13 Oct) by the University of Exeter and international partners.

With ministers gathering today ahead of the COP30 summit, the second Global Tipping Points Report finds that warm-water coral reefs – on which nearly a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend – are passing their tipping point. Widespread dieback is taking place and – unless global warming is reversed – extensive reefs as we know them will be lost, although small refuges may survive and must be protected.

We are on the brink of more tipping points, with devastating risks for people and nature: the irreversible melting of polar ice sheets, the collapse of key ocean currents and the dieback of the Amazon rainforest – where COP30 will be held.

With global warming set to breach 1.5°C, the report – by 160 scientists at 87 institutions in 23 countries – argues that countries must minimise temperature overshoot to avoid crossing more tipping points. Every fraction of a degree and every year spent above 1.5°C matters.

It might as well be straight out of the Neolithic Sorcerers Cookbook — How to wind up the crowd before you ask for the goats and girls:
Pick things the audience likes but mostly won't have any direct experience of, like, say, corals 100km off the coast and under 10 meters of water. Even in the unlikely event a single critic dives on one reef, the real crisis will turn out to be in the 100,000  reefs they didn't visit.
Use vague, ill defined terms, like "climate change" which can mean long term, short term, man-made, natural, or a thing that dropped in for the weekend.
Seed the idea that all storms, high tides, fires, demented dolphins and shonky buildings are "affected by climate change". Even your hay fever can be a sign you should vote for a carbon tax. Soon, people will see climate change everywhere like UFO's and Elvis.
Whatever disaster looks like, it's always just around the corner.