Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Non-Technical Summary This review highlights 10 recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, spanning diverse topics: (1) the global temperature jump of 2023–2024; (2) sea surface warming and marine heatwaves; (3) land carbon sinks; (4) interactions between climate change and biodiversity loss; (5) accelerated groundwater decline; (6) global dengue incidence; (7) income and labour productivity loss; (8) strategic considerations for scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR); (9) integrity of carbon credit markets; and (10) policy mixes for climate change mitigation. Technical Summary Interdisciplinary understanding is vital for delivering sound climate policy advice. However, navigating the ever-growing and increasingly diverse scholarly literature on climate change is challenging for any individual researcher. This annual synthesis highlights and explains recent advances across a variety of fields of climate change research. This year, the 10 insights focus on: (1) the record-warmth of 2023/2024 and the elevated Earth energy imbalance; (2) acceleration of ocean warming and intensifying marine heatwaves; (3) northern land carbon sinks under strain; (4) reinforcing feedback between biodiversity loss and climate change; (5) accelerated depletion of groundwater; (6) global dengue incidence; (7) global income losses and labour productivity declines; (8) strategic scaling of CDR; (9) integrity challenges in carbon credit markets and emerging responses; and (10) effective policy mixes for emissions reductions. The insights have been written to be accessible to researchers from different fields, serving as entry-points to specific topics, as well as providing an overview of the evolving landscape of climate change research. In the final section, the insights are used to develop overarching policy-relevant messages. This paper provides the basis for a science-policy report that was shared with all Party delegations ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. Social Media Summary Highlights of climate change research in 2024–2025: 10insightsclimate.science
Source: Global Sustainability
Authors: Daniel Ospina, Paula Mirazo, Richard P. Allan, Smriti Basnett, Ana Bastos, Nishan Bhattarai, Wendy Broadgate, Derik J. Broekhoff, Mercedes Bustamante, Deliang Chen, Yeonju Choi, Peter Cox, Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta, Kristie Ebi, Pierre Friedlingstein, Thomas L. Frölicher, Sabine Fuss, Helge F. Goessling, Nicolas Gruber, Qingyou He, Sophie R. Hebden, Nadja Hedrich, Adrian Heilemann, Marina Hirota, Øivind Hodnebrog, Gustaf Hugelius, Santiago Izquierdo-Tort, Sirkku Juhola, Fumiko Kasuga, Piyu Ke, Douglas I. Kelley, Şiir Kilkiş, Maximilian Kotz, Nilushi Kumarasinghe, William F. Lamb, Shih-Yu Lee, Junguo Liu, Cara N. Maesano, Maria A. Martin, Guilherme G. Mazzochini, Christopher J. Merchant, Akira S. Mori, Jennifer Morris, Åsa Persson, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Benedict S. Probst, Justine Ramage, Estelle Razanatsoa, Aaron Redman, Johan Rockström, Regina Rodrigues, Sophie Ruehr, Sadie J. Ryan, Roberto Sánchez-Rodríguez, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Peter Schlosser, William A. Scott, Jan C. Semenza, Hansjörg Seybold, Drew T. Shindell, Giles B. Sioen, Kathryn E. Smith, Youba Sokona, Annika H. Stechemesser, Thomas F. Stocker, Sophie H. L. Su, Djiby Thiam, Gregory Trencher, Anna-Maria Virkkala, Lila Warszawski, Sarah Weiskopf, Henry Wu, Shupeng Zhu
Institutions: Future Earth, Arizona State University, National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Reading, Government of Sikkim, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Leipzig University, University of Oklahoma, Stockholm Environment Institute, Universidade de Brasília, Tsinghua University, Yonsei University, University of Exeter, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, University of Washington, University of Bern, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, ETH Zurich, Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Sea Institute Of Oceanology, European Space Agency, European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications, University of Zurich, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Stockholm University, University of British Columbia, University of Helsinki, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Future Earth, Concordia University, University of Leeds, Academia Sinica, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Rocky Mountain Institute, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, The University of Tokyo, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Linköping University, University of Cambridge, Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, University of Cape Town, University of Potsdam, University of California System, University of Florida, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Simon Fraser University, Umeå University, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Duke University, Sustainable Society Design Center, Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Kyoto University, Woodwell Climate Research Center, United States Geological Survey, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Zhejiang University
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
Funders: National Science Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency, European Space Agency, Research Councils UK, University of Cambridge, European Commission, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Korea Meteorological Administration, Vetenskapsrådet, University of Tokyo, U.S. Geological Survey, South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Japan Science and Technology Agency, National Centre for Earth Observation, HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province
Awards: G1084951358, Collaborative Research: CIBR: VectorByte: A Global Informatics Platform for studying the Ecology of Vector-Borne Diseases, G1269238973, G167756248, G1827961072, Socioeconomic Pathways, Adaptation and Resilience to Changing CLimate in Europe, G2388521177, G2559426217, PIPP Phase II: Analysis and Prediction of Pandemic Expansion (APPEX), PERMAFROST – POLLUTION - HEALTH, G2975835067, Permafrost Peatlands: Stability, Resilience or Collapse under Overshoot Warming? (PRISE), Bridging current knowledge gaps to enable the UPTAKE of carbon dioxide removal methods, G3483396012, G3629240359, G3828619824, G387764063, G4439552024, 地域ガバナンスに基づく自然資本の適応的管理：地域とセクターをまたいだ共助の創出へ, G5934154127, G6121792768, “十四五”规划下浙江省绿色乘用车发展的减污降碳潜力与环境健康效益分析, G6592939782, G6676713603, G7290814536, G7670106508, G8148099377, CLimate science for Evaluation of changing Socioeconomic ImpactS, G8395449185, Identification of best practices for biodiversity recovery and public health interventions to prevent future epidemics and pandemics, Infectious Disease decision-support tools and Alert systems to build climate Resilience to emerging health Threats, G8972933188, G93892593
OpenAlex ID: W7118244817