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Closing the loop of reflexivity

Nature Climate Change volume 13, pages 110–112 (2023)Cite this article

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Global lessons are emerging on the enablers of effective knowledge co-production. An inclusion of greater reflexivity, which incorporates broad socio-political perspectives and feedbacks, could be the next frontier for the integrated assessment communities.

The boundaries between integrated assessment and sustainability action will continue to blur in the coming years. From rising temperatures and sea levels to disappearing forests and biodiversity, global integrated assessments are painting an increasingly bleak future for our planet. According to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming beyond the 1.5 °C mark in the coming decades presents considerable risks, including irreversible impacts to our societies, economies and ecosystems1. The political will to act finally seems to be catching up — net-zero targets have been adopted by more than 70 countries representing some 80% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally and the United Nations-coordinated Race to Zero initiative now includes over 1,000 cities, 5,000 firms and 400 financial institutions (https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition). With countries, cities and communities increasingly turning to science-informed actions, this will mark a turning point for the global integrated assessment communities.

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Fig. 1: A framework for reflexive knowledge co-production.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria

    Junko Mochizuki & Yoshihide Wada

  2. Climate and Livability, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    Yoshihide Wada

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  1. Junko Mochizuki
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  2. Yoshihide Wada
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Correspondence to Junko Mochizuki.

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Mochizuki, J., Wada, Y. Closing the loop of reflexivity. Nat. Clim. Chang. 13, 110–112 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01569-1

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