Oh, this is a great word, wwh, because it is very significant for several reasons. For one, climacteric shares the same Gk. root, klimax, that climax does. I think it helps young students to understand that the climax of a drama is often the turning point. The visual image of the action moving up a ladder (Gk. klimax) reaching the peak of the ladder and then coming down after the peak (or top of the ladder) helps. There are various types of climaxes, depending upon the subject, but the ladder as an image works.

Now about this climacteric that shares the same Greek root meaning ladder: I read that one of the definitions is the point at which fruit rises to its peak respiration rate just before full ripening.