Tipping points have become a key concept in research on climate change, indicating points of abrupt transition in biophysical systems as well as transformative changes in adaptation and mitigation strategies. However, the potential existence of tipping points in socio-economic systems has remained underexplored. Such tipping points might be highly policy relevant. This seminar discusses climate change induced socio-economic tipping points (SETPs) which are defined as ‘climate change induced, abrupt changes of socio-economic systems, into new, fundamentally different states (beyond a certain threshold that stakeholders perceive as critical)’. Three examples of SETPs will be discussed: the collapse of winter sports tourism, farmland abandonment and sea-level rise-induced migration. We reflect on the application of the SETP-concept for decision making on climate adaptation and mitigation, especially in the context of coastal cities facing accelerating sea level rise.