From a scientific standpoint, the causes of current ongoing climate change are well established. But in the context of rapid change, and real-world consequences, there is still room — and need — for scientific discussion in climate change fields.

Coral reefs are at risk from ongoing climate change. We can best serve the reefs by invoking realistic scenarios, empiricism, artificial intelligence and falsification to self-correct the current scientific limits that hinder climate science predictions, communication and policies.

Reef-building corals are declining globally, putting important ecosystem services at risk. Here we discuss the potential risks and benefits of coral ecological replacement, in which new species are introduced to replace the functional roles of species that have declined or disappeared.

Climate impacts are triggering a host of novel bio- and geoengineering interventions to save coral reefs. This Comment challenges heroic scientific assumptions and advocates for a more systemic, evidence-based approach to caring for coral reefs.

Increases in crop and timber production are necessary to meet rising needs. Here the authors predict how current forestry land is likely to face increased competition from agriculture as climate change shifts land-use suitability.

The authors link a recent collapse of a commercially valuable snow crab stock to borealization of the Bering Sea that is >98% likely to have been human induced.

The authors investigate the carbon storage response of wetland drainage in the context of rate-limiting phenol oxidase activity. They show divergent responses to short- and long-term drainage in Sphagnum versus non-Sphagnum wetlands determined by plant traits and plant–microbe interactions.

The authors demonstrate that integrating phenology data with evolutionary relationships can improve predictions of change. They show how including phylogenetic structure in plant responses to temperature produces better estimates and reveals markedly different responses across species.

Food choices greatly affect global GHG emissions, but the contributions of different groups, across or within countries, are highly unequal. Adopting the global planetary health diet could yield co-benefits by reducing both emissions and inequality among populations.

The Paris Agreement requires reaching net-zero carbon emissions, but a debate exists on how fast this can be achieved. This study establishes scenarios with different feasibility constraints and finds that the institutional dimension plays a key role for determining the feasible peak temperature.

Participating in or spectating at sporting events is a favourite pastime for many, but climate change could alter the sporting landscape. Yet, sports are unifying to be part of the solution.

Night-time activities substantially impact climate change yet remain widely overlooked in climate research and action. We advocate for incorporating night studies into discussions surrounding climate socio-ecological dynamics to develop equitable and effective adaptation and mitigation strategies, especially in cities.