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Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2020 : A Horizon Scan

Pihl, Erik ; Alfredsson, Eva ; Bengtsson, Magnus ; Bowen, Kathryn J. ; Cástan Broto, Vanesa ; Chou, Kuei Tien ; Cleugh, Helen ; Ebi, Kristie ; Edwards, Clea M. and Fisher, Eleanor , et al. (2021) In Global Sustainability 4(e5). p.1-18
Abstract

Non-technical summary: We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable... (More)

Non-technical summary: We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable investments. Technical summary: A synthesis is made of ten fields within climate science where there have been significant advances since mid-2019, through an expert elicitation process with broad disciplinary scope. Findings include: (1) a better understanding of equilibrium climate sensitivity; (2) abrupt thaw as an accelerator of carbon release from permafrost; (3) changes to global and regional land carbon sinks; (4) impacts of climate change on water crises, including equity perspectives; (5) adverse effects on mental health from climate change; (6) immediate effects on climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for recovery packages to deliver on the Paris Agreement; (7) suggested long-term changes to governance and a social contract to address climate change, learning from the current pandemic, (8) updated positive cost-benefit ratio and new perspectives on the potential for green growth in the short- A nd long-term perspective; (9) urban electrification as a strategy to move towards low-carbon energy systems and (10) rights-based litigation as an increasingly important method to address climate change, with recent clarifications on the legal standing and representation of future generations. Social media summary Stronger permafrost thaw, COVID-19 effects and growing mental health impacts among highlights of latest climate science.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
climate anxiety, climate feedbacks, climate governance, climate impacts, climate litigation, climate mitigation, climate models, climate policy, environmental economics, future earth, risk governance, thermokarst, urban transformations, water stress
in
Global Sustainability
volume
4
issue
e5
article number
e5
pages
18 pages
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:85102083882
ISSN
2059-4798
DOI
10.1017/sus.2021.2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0fea6515-c64b-49d8-a039-7275a7b80925
date added to LUP
2021-03-23 07:21:52
date last changed
2023-09-19 10:25:56
@article{0fea6515-c64b-49d8-a039-7275a7b80925,
  abstract     = {{<p>Non-technical summary: We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable investments. Technical summary: A synthesis is made of ten fields within climate science where there have been significant advances since mid-2019, through an expert elicitation process with broad disciplinary scope. Findings include: (1) a better understanding of equilibrium climate sensitivity; (2) abrupt thaw as an accelerator of carbon release from permafrost; (3) changes to global and regional land carbon sinks; (4) impacts of climate change on water crises, including equity perspectives; (5) adverse effects on mental health from climate change; (6) immediate effects on climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for recovery packages to deliver on the Paris Agreement; (7) suggested long-term changes to governance and a social contract to address climate change, learning from the current pandemic, (8) updated positive cost-benefit ratio and new perspectives on the potential for green growth in the short- A nd long-term perspective; (9) urban electrification as a strategy to move towards low-carbon energy systems and (10) rights-based litigation as an increasingly important method to address climate change, with recent clarifications on the legal standing and representation of future generations. Social media summary Stronger permafrost thaw, COVID-19 effects and growing mental health impacts among highlights of latest climate science.</p>}},
  author       = {{Pihl, Erik and Alfredsson, Eva and Bengtsson, Magnus and Bowen, Kathryn J. and Cástan Broto, Vanesa and Chou, Kuei Tien and Cleugh, Helen and Ebi, Kristie and Edwards, Clea M. and Fisher, Eleanor and Friedlingstein, Pierre and Godoy-Faúndez, Alex and Gupta, Mukesh and Harrington, Alexandra R. and Hayes, Katie and Hayward, Bronwyn M. and Hebden, Sophie R. and Hickmann, Thomas and Hugelius, Gustaf and Ilyina, Tatiana and Jackson, Robert B. and Keenan, Trevor F. and Lambino, Ria A. and Leuzinger, Sebastian and Malmaeus, Mikael and McDonald, Robert I. and McMichael, Celia and Miller, Clark A. and Muratori, Matteo and Nagabhatla, Nidhi and Nagendra, Harini and Passarello, Cristian and Penuelas, Josep and Pongratz, Julia and Rockström, Johan and Romero-Lankao, Patricia and Roy, Joyashree and Scaife, Adam A. and Schlosser, Peter and Schuur, Edward and Scobie, Michelle and Sherwood, Steven C. and Sioen, Giles B. and Skovgaard, Jakob and Sobenes Obregon, Edgardo A. and Sonntag, Sebastian and Spangenberg, Joachim H. and Spijkers, Otto and Srivastava, Leena and Stammer, Detlef B. and Torres, Pedro H.C. and Turetsky, Merritt R. and Ukkola, Anna M. and Van Vuuren, Detlef P. and Voigt, Christina and Wannous, Chadia and Zelinka, Mark D.}},
  issn         = {{2059-4798}},
  keywords     = {{climate anxiety; climate feedbacks; climate governance; climate impacts; climate litigation; climate mitigation; climate models; climate policy; environmental economics; future earth; risk governance; thermokarst; urban transformations; water stress}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{e5}},
  pages        = {{1--18}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Global Sustainability}},
  title        = {{Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2020 : A Horizon Scan}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/sus.2021.2}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/sus.2021.2}},
  volume       = {{4}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}