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    Overcoming global inequality is critical for land-based mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement
    ([London] : Nature Publishing Group UK, 2022) Humpenöder, Florian; Popp, Alexander; Schleussner, Carl-Friedrich; Orlov, Anton; Windisch, Michael Gregory; Menke, Inga; Pongratz, Julia; Havermann, Felix; Thiery, Wim; Luo, Fei; v. Jeetze, Patrick; Dietrich, Jan Philipp; Lotze-Campen, Hermann; Weindl, Isabelle; Lejeune, Quentin
    Transformation pathways for the land sector in line with the Paris Agreement depend on the assumption of globally implemented greenhouse gas (GHG) emission pricing, and in some cases also on inclusive socio-economic development and sustainable land-use practices. In such pathways, the majority of GHG emission reductions in the land system is expected to come from low- and middle-income countries, which currently account for a large share of emissions from agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU). However, in low- and middle-income countries the economic, financial and institutional barriers for such transformative changes are high. Here, we show that if sustainable development in the land sector remained highly unequal and limited to high-income countries only, global AFOLU emissions would remain substantial throughout the 21st century. Our model-based projections highlight that overcoming global inequality is critical for land-based mitigation in line with the Paris Agreement. While also a scenario purely based on either global GHG emission pricing or on inclusive socio-economic development would achieve the stringent emissions reductions required, only the latter ensures major co-benefits for other Sustainable Development Goals, especially in low- and middle-income regions.
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    Ten new insights in climate science 2020 – a horizon scan
    (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2021) Pihl, Erik; Alfredsson, Eva; Bengtsson, Magnus; Bowen, Kathryn J.; Cástan Broto, Vanesa; Chou, Kuei Tien; Cleugh, Helen; Ebi, Kristie; Edwards, Clea M.; Fisher, Eleanor; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Godoy-Faúndez, Alex; Gupta, Mukesh; Harrington, Alexandra R.; Hayes, Katie; Hayward, Bronwyn M.; Hebden, Sophie R.; Hickmann, Thomas; Hugelius, Gustaf; Ilyina, Tatiana; Jackson, Robert B.; Keenan, Trevor F.; Lambino, Ria A.; Leuzinger, Sebastian; Malmaeus, Mikael; McDonald, Robert I.; McMichael, Celia; Miller, Clark A.; Muratori, Matteo; Nagabhatla, Nidhi; Nagendra, Harini; Passarello, Cristian; Penuelas, Josep; Pongratz, Julia; Rockström, Johan; Romero-Lankao, Patricia; Roy, Joyashree; Scaife, Adam A.; Schlosser, Peter; Schuur, Edward; Scobie, Michelle; Sherwood, Steven C.; Sioen, Giles B.; Skovgaard, Jakob; Sobenes Obregon, Edgardo A.; Sonntag, Sebastian; Spangenberg, Joachim H.; Spijkers, Otto; Srivastava, Leena; Stammer, Detlef B.; Torres, Pedro H. C.; Turetsky, Merritt R.; Ukkola, Anna M.; van Vuuren, Detlef P.; Voigt, Christina; Wannous, Chadia; Zelinka, Mark D.
    Non-technical summary: We summarize some of the past year's most important findings within climate change-related research. New research has improved our understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide, finds that permafrost thaw could release more carbon emissions than expected and that the uptake of carbon in tropical ecosystems is weakening. Adverse impacts on human society include increasing water shortages and impacts on mental health. Options for solutions emerge from rethinking economic models, rights-based litigation, strengthened governance systems and a new social contract. The disruption caused by COVID-19 could be seized as an opportunity for positive change, directing economic stimulus towards sustainable investments. Technical summary: A synthesis is made of ten fields within climate science where there have been significant advances since mid-2019, through an expert elicitation process with broad disciplinary scope. Findings include: (1) a better understanding of equilibrium climate sensitivity; (2) abrupt thaw as an accelerator of carbon release from permafrost; (3) changes to global and regional land carbon sinks; (4) impacts of climate change on water crises, including equity perspectives; (5) adverse effects on mental health from climate change; (6) immediate effects on climate of the COVID-19 pandemic and requirements for recovery packages to deliver on the Paris Agreement; (7) suggested long-term changes to governance and a social contract to address climate change, learning from the current pandemic, (8) updated positive cost-benefit ratio and new perspectives on the potential for green growth in the short- A nd long-term perspective; (9) urban electrification as a strategy to move towards low-carbon energy systems and (10) rights-based litigation as an increasingly important method to address climate change, with recent clarifications on the legal standing and representation of future generations. Social media summary: Stronger permafrost thaw, COVID-19 effects and growing mental health impacts among highlights of latest climate science. Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press.