Converging For Change: Sunway University to Host Asia’s First Global Tipping Points Conference 2026

The Sunway Centre for Planetary Health (SCPH) at Sunway University recently announced the Global Tipping Points Conference 2026 (GTP 2026), which will be held at the university from 12 to 15 October — the first time the conference is being held in Asia. The four-day conference will bring together scientists, policymakers, health leaders, financiers, business leaders and youth advocates from around the world to explore how positive change can be accelerated at a moment when many of the planet’s systems are approaching critical thresholds.

Furthering the Global Tipping Points mission

The Global Tipping Points initiative, led by Professor Tim Lenton and the Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, is a global research and policy programme that identifies critical thresholds in Earth systems and translates science into actionable solutions to accelerate climate action, clean energy adoption and ecosystem restoration. By hosting the conference in Asia for the first time, GTP 2026 places a region that is both highly exposed to tipping point risks and uniquely positioned to bring transformations needed for a more sustainable future at the centre of the global conversation.

“Together, scientists, policymakers, business leaders, civil society, Indigenous voices, artists, and youth will unite to spotlight South and Southeast Asia’s lived realities and accelerate the positive tipping points we need for a healthier planet and future,” said Professor Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Co-Chair of GTP 2026 and Executive Director, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Sunway University.

The conference is based on Three Cross-cutting Pillars that operate across all sessions:

1. Understanding the Shift: Clarifying what is changing in the world today, including climate and nature risks, as well as social and economic pressures that affect health, food security and stability.
2. Igniting Imagination: Exploring how culture, faith, creativity and moral leadership help people, communities and institutions transition into reformation.
3. Accelerating Action: Identifying what policies, investments and partnerships can reinforce each other and create lasting momentum.

Co-chaired by SCPH at Sunway University, the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the conference follows a four-day narrative progression rather than a conventional conference format. 

Here’s the rundown of the event:

Day One will establish the scientific foundations of positive tipping points and the leadership challenges they present. Day Two turns to the human conditions that influence societal transformation, including communications, nature, values and health. Day Three focuses on the mechanisms that make change lasting and self-reinforcing, exploring themes such as finance, law, social cohesion, and the clean energy implications of the Strait of Hormuz disruption and the global AI race. The final day will synthesise key insights from plenaries, action workshops, fireside chats and lightning talks, culminating in a closing session focused on pathways to collective action, and the launch of an outcome declaration. 

GTP 2026 will open with remarks by Professor Sibrandes Poppema, President of Sunway University, followed by a special keynote address by His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, Sultan of Perak. The programme will feature twenty action workshops and a special screening of How to Live on Earth, produced by Open Planet Studios and narrated by award-winning actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

GTP 2026 marks the third edition of the Global Tipping Points Conference, following two previous conferences hosted at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom in 2023 and 2025. 

“Sunway University is proud and excited to host the Global Tipping Points Conference 2026, the first time this gathering has come to Asia. It is a rare privilege to bring the world’s leading minds on planetary health to our campus, and we know our students, faculty and wider community will benefit enormously from the exchange of ideas, new collaborations, and the chance to help shape solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time,” said Prof. Chai Lay Ching, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education, Employability and Alumni), Sunway University.

The announcement was made during a press conference featuring Professor Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood and Professor Chai Lay Ching of Sunway University.

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