Top 10 Climate Science Insights Unveiled

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Justin Holloway

The report findings underscore the looming inevitability of overshooting the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C global warming target, emphasizing the urgency of a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out.  

On December 3, 2023 at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, leading global experts in social and natural sciences unveiled the annual 10 New Insights in Climate Science report, alongside UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Mr. Simon Stiell. The report equips policymakers with the latest and most pivotal climate science research from the previous 18 months, synthesized to help inform negotiations at COP28 and policy implementation through 2024 and beyond. 

Read the report here: https://10insightsclimate.science.  

Additional resources for media can be found here: https://10insightsclimate.science/year-2023/resources-for-media.

The Earth League co-convenes 3 COP28 events

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Justin Holloway

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP28

Dubai, U.A.E

10 New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024 official press conference

  • Date: 3 December 2023
  • Time: 16:30 – 17:00 (GMT+4)
  • Location: View recording of the press conference here, held UNFCCC Press conference Room 1, Zone B8, Blue Zone, COP28, Dubai U.A.E. 
  • Overview: Official UNFCCC press conference presenting the 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024,
    On this day, global experts in social and natural sciences unveil the annual 10 New Insights in Climate Science report. The report equips policymakers with the latest and most pivotal climate science research from the previous 18 months, synthesized to help inform negotiations at COP28 and policy implementation through 2024 and beyond. The 10 New Insights in Climate Science series, launched with the UNFCCC at the COPs since 2017, is a collaborative initiative of Future Earth, the Earth League and the World Climate Research Programme. This year’s report represents the collective efforts of 68 leading researchers from 23 countries.   
  • Speakers
    • Oliver Geden, Senior Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs and IPCC WG III Vice-Chair
    • Aditi Mukherji, Director, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Area Platform CGIAR
    • Ploy Pattanun Achakulwisut, Stockholm Environment Institute and Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
    • Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Earth League co-chair
    • Mr. Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary

Read the press release here.

10 New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024 panel discussion

  • Date: 4 December 2023
  • Time: 14:30 local time (GMT+4)
  • Location: “Arizona State University Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory®” Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP28,  Dubai, U.A.E.
  • Overview: This session will provide a dynamic platform for rich exchange and engagement on some of the key findings in this year’s 10 New Insights report. It is timed to follow and complement the official release during a UNFCCC press conference. 
  • Speakers
    • Sandrine Dixson-Declève, The Club of Rome 
    • Carlos Nobre, Institute for Advanced Studies at University of São Paulo
    • Laura Pereira, University of the Witwatersrand; Stockholm University
    • Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Earth League
    • Peter Schlosser, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, Earth League

View the session recording here

10 Must-haves Initiative panel discussion

  • Date: Monday, 4 December 2023
  • Time: 10:30 am GST (GMT+4) 
  • Location: Arizona State University Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP28, Dubai, U.A.E 
  • Overview: Dynamic discussion of the “10 Must Haves” initiative, which explores with the urgency required the question: What are the planetary-scale, must-have transformations for global society to halt and reverse the course of our unsustainable actions and enable an acceleration toward a society that lives in harmony with Earth’s systems? Answering that question is the purpose of the “10 Must Haves initiative,” driven by the urgency of the crises humankind faces and awareness that we are on a trajectory to miss many existing targets. An outcome of the Global Futures Conference in New York City in September, this report provides an initial effort across 10 foundational areas to help decision makers in both the public and private sectors lead the necessary changes that we know are possible to provide an opportunity for all to thrive.
  • Speakers
    • Alex Dehgan, CEO & Co-Founder, Conservation X Labs. 
    • Maja Groff, International lawyer based in The Hague, Convenor of the Climate Governance Commission
    • Jemilah Mahmood Executive Director, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health
    • Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Earth League)
    • Peter Schlosser, Vice President and Vice Provost, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University (Earth League)

View the session recording here.

The Earth League will be at COP28

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Justin Holloway

Please join us at COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a series of presentations and discussions featuring the work of the Earth League.   

10 Must-haves Panel Discussion, led by Earth League co-chairs Peter Schlosser and Johan Rockström – 4 December 2023, 10:30 –11:30 (GST), Arizona State University Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP8, Dubai, U.A.E

10 New Insights in Climate Science Panel Discussion, led by Earth League co-chairs  Peter Schlosser and Johan Rockström – 4 December 2023, 14:30 – 15:30 (GST), Arizona State University Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP8, Dubai, U.A.E

UNFCCC Press Launch 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024 – 3 December 2023, 16:00 – 16:30 (GST), UNFCCC Press conference Room 1, Zone B8, Blue Zone, COP28, Dubai U.A.E. Livestream for the Press conference will be available here. 

We hope to see you there! 

The Earth League is grieving for Saleemul Huq

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Justin Holloway

The Earth League deeply mourns the passing of Professor Saleemul Huq on October 28, 2023.

His work and impactful contributions in the field of climate adaptation and development are immeasurable, and his unwavering commitment to justice and transformation leave an impactful mark in the world. Professor Huq will be greatly missed, but his vision lives on and will continue to inspire us and the generations to come. 

Our heartfelt condolences extend to Professor Huq’s family, friends and colleagues at ICCAD. 

Learn more about Professor Huq’s legacy with this obituary in TIME and PIK’s words of remembrance.  

‘10 Must-haves’ Intelligence Briefing Published in Global Sustainability

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Justin Holloway

Accelerating transformations for a just, sustainable future: 10 ‘Must Haves’, has now been published as Open Access (OA) in Global Sustainability! 

The 10 Must-haves initiative aims to identify the pathways of accelerated systemic transformations needed across the globe toward a sustainable and just future where all can thrive on a healthy planet. In this Intelligence Briefing, the authors lay out the rationale for the project, the proposed targets, and set the stage for forthcoming work on action.

Explore the full article at https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2023.14 

 

Global Futures Conference 2023

Posted on November 22, 2023 by Justin Holloway

The 2023 Global Futures Conference took place over a 3-day period, between September 19th – 21st at the Javits Center in New York City. It coincided with New York Climate Week and the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, adding significance to the occasion. The conference drew a diverse audience of over 300 individuals hailing from the public and private sectors, academia, the scientific community, Indigenous groups, and global youth.

The primary goal of the 2023 Global Futures Conference, building upon the progress of the inaugural Global Futures Conference, GF22, and the ongoing efforts of the Earth League, aimed to advance specific action pathways related to the 10 Must Haves initiative. The initiative forms the underpinning of an emerging coalition formed among private and public sector entities, research institutions, multilateral organizations, among other stakeholders, that endorse the effort and leverage their collective knowledge, authority and access to accelerate action. An Intelligence Briefing on the “10 Must Haves” was accepted by Global Sustainability Journal in advance of the conference (now published).

The conference served to further develop and inform the 10 Must Haves report intended as a roadmap for governments, corporations and multilateral institutions to take bold and important steps to achieve just and sustainable futures. 

To learn more, visit: https://globalfuturesconference.org/

Global Futures Conference 2023: Critical actions for global transformational change

Posted on September 19, 2023 by Justin Holloway

September 19-21, 2023
New York City, Javits Center

The GF23 Global Futures Conference brought together members of the public and private sectors, science and academia, Indigenous communities and youth from around the globe, to actualize bold steps for governments, corporations and multilateral institutions to push the boundaries of discourse on how we can–and must–act to save our planet.

Our world requires humans to act urgently so that we may repair and relieve the stresses we as a global society have placed upon it. In September 2022, GF22 convened with committed global stakeholders who established the 10 Must-haves Initiative, a comprehensive set of Must-have targets with Must-do actions that can lead the change necessary to provide a future where all may thrive. To take the next step, our world needs an engaged and committed alliance of global citizens who have authority and access to see these Must-haves and Must-do’s are implemented. This was the purpose of GF23.

This event is co-convened by the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory based at Arizona State University and Planet, and took place amidst the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week in Manhattan.

https://globalfuturesconference.org/

Expert Elicitation Open Until May 13, 2022

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Justin Holloway

Please join us in developing a bold but actionable set of levers for global transformational change.

The Earth League, led by co-chairs Peter Schlosser and Johan Rockström, is committed to answering the question: “What are the non-negotiable ‘must have’s targets and ‘must do’ actions that can accelerate the necessary change to a safe, just, and habitable planet for all?”

We invite you to contribute to this effort, initially by responding to this questionnaire by May 13.

For additional details on this project, refer to the following overview.

Call for Topics: 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2022

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Justin Holloway

The Earth League, Future Earth, and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) have been preparing 10 New Insights in Climate Science policy reports for six consecutive years, all officially received by the UNFCCC. The latest report was launched at COP26 in Glasgow, in a press conference with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa. This publication series curates recent advances in climate change research across disciplines, and is an important science policy contribution. The synthesis is submitted for peer-review, and published in an academic journal. This synthesis underpins the development of the policy report which provides a climate science year-in-review for journalists, policy makers, and the informed general public. We have begun preparing the 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2022, and are scoping expertise from around the globe for inputs on which key findings should be featured. We invite experts in a wide variety of disciplines and sectors to contribute to this year’s effort, by answering this form by February 20.

Can we still limit global warming to 1.5 °C by 2100?

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Justin Holloway

color scale
Fig. 1: Annual global temperatures from 1850 to 2017 shown in warming stripes. The color scale represents the change in global temperatures covering 1.35°C. Source: https://www.climate-lab-book.ac.uk/2018/warming-stripes/
And, do we rely too much on so-called ‘silver bullet’-solutions in the known scenarios? These are two of the central questions of a recent publication by Waszawski et al. published in Environmental Research Letters. Among the coauthors are Earth League Fellows Tim Lenton, Daniela Jacob, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, and Kazuhiko Takeuchi, as well as Earth League co-chairs Peter Schlosser and Johan Rockström. The study that is based on the results of the 2019 Annual Earth League Workshop (“Towards a 1.5 °C world: Challenges and Solutions”) investigated 50 of the SR1.5 scenarios (the currently known scenarios with which global warming can be limited to 1.5°C with low or no overshoot) of the IPCC with regard to their feasibility and limits. Available technologies and other options to reduce CO2 (‘levers’) were investigated for their feasibility by determining within which boundaries they could be used at a ‘reasonable’ (most desirable), ‘challenging’ or ‘speculative’ level when they would be deployed at such a large scale as implied by the scenarios. None of the scenarios were able to limit global warming to 1.5 °C as stated in the Paris Agreement when all levers were only used within ‘reasonable’ boundaries. When at least one of the five levers was allowed to be used within ‘challenging’ boundaries, less than half of the scenarios were able to limit global warming. Additionally, most of the scenarios used geological CO2 storage methods beyond what is currently acknowledged to be feasible (‘silver bullet’-solution). Continue reading →