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Failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation ranks as the most impactful risk to society, according to the 2016 Global Risks Report from the World Economic Forum.
Human activities have shifted the Earth away from energy balance. As a result, the climate is changing, with the ocean playing a major role in heat absorption.
Policymakers seem ready to take new steps to tackle climate change. Research must draw on lessons from the past to find productive pathways for the future.
A new climate agreement won't solve climate change, but it should nudge the world onto a lower-emissions path. Research must drive deeper transformations by translating proposed solutions into workable action.
The Pope's climate change encyclical is more than a call for action. It is an example of how disparate communities, from religion, the physical and social sciences, can coalesce around a common goal.
After a false start in 2014, this year is shaping up to host a strong El Niño event. The question is why were last year's predictions of the natural phenomenon wrong? And what is the state of knowledge on the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)?
This year is make or break for climate and a sustainable future. The opportunity to make genuine progress on these grand societal challenges must not be squandered.