Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Modernizing
Middle Miocene through the Pliocene
The concept of “tipping points” is useful because it aptly conveys
the way events frequently happen in complex systems. The phrase
entered the lexicon of popular culture with Malcolm Gladwell's
2000 topic,
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big
Difference
, and it is now used so extensively that some pundits
have suggested trying to identify tipping point's tipping point.
The underlying premise is that when systems are pertubated, even
those with some resilience to change, and even when there is a lag
time between cause and effect, there nonetheless comes a point of
no return when moderately paced processes or events suddenly ac-
celerate. The buildup may be slow, affording lengthy time for plan-
ning, debate, diversion, denial, and delay, but if the process and
its effects are real, the eventual result will be the emergence of a
new steady state. The concept is now widely used in discussions of
environmental degradation and global warming (e.g., Foley 2005;
Kemp 2005). In this regard, the geological record preserves clear
information about previous changes in climate, their frequency,
