Ten crucial climate insights for guiding policymakers at COP29

As world leaders convene for the 29th annual UN Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, the latest "10 New Insights in Climate Science" report sheds new light on our global climate predicament.

This year’s report, produced by a global consortium of scientists, synthesizes the most important scientific findings from the past 18 months. It underscores not only the escalating risks from climate change, such as the increasing likelihood of ecosystem collapse and its effects on maternal and reproductive health, but also highlights viable solutions.

Urges policymakers to reflect

The report urges policymakers at COP29 to reflect on these insights in updating the submissions of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and drive attention to them within negotiations, including on the pivotal issues of climate finance.

Moreover, it emphasizes the need for policies to be perceived as fair by the public to ensure their success and warns against the resistance that can arise from policies viewed as unjust.

“This report confirms that the world faces planetary scale challenges, from the rise of methane emissions to the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. It shows that rising heat, ocean instability and a tipping of the Amazon Rainforest could push parts of our planet beyond habitable limits,” said Centre co-founder Johan Rockström, who is also co-chair of The Earth League and one of the editors of the new report.

Clear pathways for action

While warning of severe climate impacts, the report also offers clear pathways for action by identifying ways to reduce methane emissions, emphasizing the importance of integrating nature-based solutions to strengthen ecosystem resilience, and underlining the potential of Artificial Intelligence tools to enhance infrastructure resilience.

The 10 New Insights in Climate Science is a collaboration between Future Earth, the Earth League, and the World Climate Research Programme, involving more than 80 researchers from 45 countries.

Stockholm Resilience Centre is one of the institutional members of the Earth League and Johan Rockström is, as mentioned above, on the Editorial Board of the new report. Moreover, Daniel Ospina from the Swedish Future Earth Secretariat, who is one of two coordinating editors of the report, is also a PhD candidate at the Centre.

The full list of new insights are:

1. Methane levels are surging. Enforceable policies for emission reductions are essential.

2. Reduced air pollution benefits health but has complex climate impacts requiring integrated strategies.

3. Rising heat and humidity make parts of the planet uninhabitable, necessitating heat action plans for vulnerable populations.

4. Climate extremes threaten maternal and reproductive health, linking climate action with gender equity.

5. An increasingly warm ocean intensifies climate events like El Niño and threatens systems like the AMOC system of ocean currents, amplifying global risks.

6. Biocultural diversity can bolster the Amazon’s resilience against climate change.

7. Increasing climate hazards endanger critical infrastructure, but AI can help bolster its resilience.

8. New frameworks for climate-resilient development in cities provide decision-makers with ideas for unlocking co-benefits.

9. Rising demand for energy transition minerals implies socio-environmental risks, highlighting the need for a just and equitable energy transition.

10. Fair, transparent policies with participatory decision-making can boost public support and reduce resistance to climate policies.