Perspectives in 2011

Climate change projections are usually presented as ‘snapshots’ of change at a particular time in the future. Now a new approach to presenting projections, which should prove useful to policymakers, shows when temperature thresholds might be crossed, shifting the emphasis from ‘what might happen’ to ‘when it might happen’.

It is well recognized that species are shifting their distributions and the timing of key life events in response to climate change. What is less appreciated is that many species are also experiencing reductions in body size, with implications for food availability and the balance of ecosystems. This Perspective looks at the evidence for shrinking body size across endothermic and ectothermic organisms and proposes future research directions.

The impacts of climate change on human organizations depend not only on the level of emissions but also on the social and economic structures in place. A study identifies three dimensions on which to build a new set of scenarios to assess climate change effects on human systems.

Explaining climate risks and uncertainties to non-specialists is fraught with difficulties. An array of principles and guidelines has been developed to aid this process, but there is little evidence for their efficacy. An empirical approach is thus needed to identify the communications approaches that will effectively convey the practical implications of large, complex, uncertain physical, biological and social processes. An ambitious interdisciplinary initiative will be required to deliver effective climate science communication, including institutional support to sustain it.