A challenge for sustainability science: can we halt climate change?

This paper reviews the results of climate change science activities that have been promoted as part of crisis management for climate change to date and draws lessons from them to further strengthen responses to climate stabilization and suggests issues that the scientific community should address going forward. The global climate is a complex physical phenomenon, and it takes time to elucidate its mechanisms. In addition, due to its nature as a global public good with no alternatives, it cannot be controlled without the concerted consensus and action of all nations. Already, the climate management system on a global scale is lagging behind and has not caught up with the actual progress of climate change, and there are concerns that the climate crisis will undermine human sustainability. The science of climate change, which is the vanguard of sustainability science, is tackling this unprecedented challenge for humanity by learning by doing and has almost finished collecting nature-side knowledge for stabilizing climate. The next big challenge is how to motivate human society to achieve a carbon-neutral world. Given the limited time available, calls to action on the ground by stakeholders and citizens to reduce greenhouse gases, in parallel with the implementation of top-down policies, will be crucial. It is hoped that crisis management will be strengthened through the consolidation of human knowledge that crosses and integrates various fields. When the science of climate change succeeds in stabilizing the climate, it will serve as a good reference for subsequent sustainability science.

Automated summary

This paper reviews the progress of climate change science activities in crisis management, learns from them, and suggests ways to strengthen responses to climate stabilization. The global climate is complex and understanding its mechanisms takes time. As a global public good, climate cannot be controlled without the unanimous consensus and action of all nations. The current global climate management system is lagging behind and there are concerns about the impact of the climate crisis on human sustainability. The science of climate change is addressing this unprecedented challenge by learning through practical action and has collected significant knowledge for stabilizing the climate. The next challenge is motivating human society to achieve carbon neutrality, which requires both top-down policies and grassroots actions. Strengthening crisis management through integrated human knowledge from various fields is crucial. Successful climate stabilization will serve as a reference for future sustainability science.