10 insights 2020With impacts from climate change threatening to be as abrupt and far-reaching in the coming years as the current pandemic, leading scientists have released a compilation of the 10 most important insights on the climate from the last year to help inform collective action on the ongoing climate crisis.

The ​10 New Insights in Climate Science 2020​ report was prepared by a consortium of 57 leading researchers from 21 countries. As a partnership of Future Earth, the Earth League, and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the series synthesizes the latest sustainability research for the international science-policy community, with annual installments since 2017.

This year’s top insights are below:

  1. Improved understanding of Earth’s sensitivity to carbon dioxide strengthen support for ambitious emission cuts to meet Paris Agreement
  2. Emissions from thawing permafrost likely to be worse than expected
  3. Tropical forests may have reached peak uptake of carbon
  4. Climate change will severely exacerbate the water crisis
  5. Climate change can profoundly affect our mental health
  6. Governments are not seizing the opportunity for a green recovery from COVID-19
  7. COVID-19 and climate change demonstrates the need for a new social contract
  8. Economic stimulus focused primarily on growth would jeopardize the Paris Agreement
  9. Electrification in cities pivotal for just sustainability transitions
  10. Going to court to defend human rights can be an essential climate action:
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The whole video from the launch is available here
To access the paper in GSUS: doi.org/10.1017/sus.2021.2