Climate Scientists Issue Global Call for Next Wave of Policy-Ready Discoveries

What Is the “10 New Insights in Climate Science” Report?

Since its debut at COP24 in Katowice, the “10 New Insights in Climate Science” (10NICS) series has become the foremost annual stock-take of cutting-edge, policy-ready knowledge. Each edition compresses thousands of academic papers into ten concise, evidence-based messages that answer the questions decision-makers will face in the coming year: Which tipping elements are approaching critical thresholds? How fast does methane’s short-term warming impact alter carbon-budget arithmetic? Where are the synergies between biodiversity protection and decarbonisation?

The reports are co-produced by Future Earth, The Earth League and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), with scientific coordination led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). After an open peer-review process, the final ten insights are launched every autumn at the UN climate summit and subsequently briefed to finance ministries, development banks, city networks and corporate sustainability boards.

Why an Open Call Matters Now

Climate science moves faster than the policy cycle. In 2023 alone, publications on climate-induced labour losses, marine heat-wave amplification and fossil-fuel transition risk appeared too late to influence many Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that were submitted under the Paris Agreement. The January call for inputs is designed to close that lag by surfacing research still in pre-print, under review or recently accepted—ensuring the 2025 report captures discoveries that would otherwise miss the policy window.

Who Can Contribute?

• Natural and social scientists working on emerging climate-system findings (e.g., novel feedbacks, extreme-event attribution, cryosphere dynamics).
• Researchers analysing mitigation or adaptation solutions with quantified climate benefits (nature-based solutions, carbon removal, demand-side measures).
• Scholars investigating justice, governance and finance dimensions of climate action (debt-for-climate swaps, loss-and-damage finance, Indigenous knowledge).
• Data scientists deploying AI, remote sensing or integrated assessment models to reveal new risk geographies or policy pathways.

How the Selection Process Works

After the 31 January deadline, an editorial board of distinguished climate scientists screens submissions for:

1. Novelty: Does the insight represent a genuine advance since the previous report?
2. Policy relevance: Can the message be translated into concrete guidance for negotiators or investors?
3. Robustness: Is the finding supported by multiple independent studies or a large ensemble?
4. Global balance: Does the insight reflect risks and opportunities across different regions and sectors?

Short-listed authors are invited to join as co-authors; the final ten insights are chosen via a modified Delphi process that includes representatives from the UNFCCC Secretariat and the IPCC vice-chairs.

From Lab to Negotiating Table: The 2024 Edition as a Blueprint

Last year’s report—launched at COP28 in Dubai—delivered the following headline messages that have already filtered into formal UN decisions:

• 1.5 °C carbon budgets are ~200 Gt CO₂ smaller when accounting for reduced aerosol cooling.
• Forest regrowth and afforestation cannot compensate for the continued burning of fossil fuels.
• Climate-related litigation cases have more than doubled since 2017, shifting risk perceptions in capital markets.
• Compound events (simultaneous heat and drought) are now the dominant driver of year-to-year crop-yield variability.

Each insight was distilled into two-page policy briefs translated into the six UN languages and presented in ministerial roundtables, directly informing the Global Stocktake outcome and the UAE Consensus on transitioning away from fossil fuels.

What Makes a Strong 2025 Nomination?

Based on past successful entries, the editorial team advises:

• Frame the insight as a single sentence takeaway that a non-specialist can grasp.
• Provide three to five peer-reviewed references (including pre-prints) published after 1 January 2024.
• Include quantified confidence levels and, where possible, headline numbers (gigatonnes, dollars, lives affected).
• Explicitly state the policy lever the insight informs—carbon pricing, adaptation finance, coastal zoning, dietary guidelines, etc.
• Highlight regional nuance: impacts on Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries or Indigenous territories.

Wider Implications for Climate Action

By design, the 10NICS series acts as a bridge between the IPCC assessment cycles, offering a lighter, faster mechanism to keep science front-and-centre in policy debates. Past insights have:

• Shifted central bank stress-test scenarios toward earlier peak-oil demand.
• Prompted the EU to integrate methane metrics into its Methane Regulation.
• Influenced corporate climate-washing litigation by clarifying what counts as “net-zero aligned” science.

The 2025 report will be released just months before countries must submit enhanced NDCs and negotiate the new collective quantified goal on climate finance, making timely input especially consequential.

How to Submit Your Insight

Researchers have until 31 January to complete a short online questionnaire. The form asks for:

1. A 300-character summary of the insight.
2. Up to five supporting references.
3. An indication of willingness to serve as a co-author.
4. Optional: links to underlying datasets or code repositories.

There is no fee, and early-career researchers are explicitly encouraged to apply. Selected co-authors will receive travel support to present the findings at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

Conclusion: Science at the Speed of Policy

The climate-policy arena increasingly demands actionable, high-confidence guidance that can withstand geopolitical scrutiny. The “10 New Insights in Climate Science” series has proven that rigorous, rapid synthesis is possible when the scientific community organises itself around the policy calendar. By issuing an open call, the initiative ensures that the next wave of discoveries—whether on carbon-cycle feedbacks, climate-security hotspots or AI-enabled adaptation—reaches the negotiators who need it most. For researchers, the invitation is clear: distil your most compelling finding, submit before 31 January, and help turn new knowledge into the agreements, investments and regulations that will shape the global climate trajectory this decisive decade.

Reference

Rockström, J. (2024). Call for expert input: 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2025. LinkedIn post. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johan-rockström-325551331_the-10-new-insights-in-climate-science-report-activity-7414702328366137345-MONK