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Climate change, COP and the Royal Society

Following the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference COP27, explore the latest publications from the Royal Society on the state of the climate and the urgent actions the world needs to take to avert the worst impacts of climate change.

The next decade is make or break.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society
Earth

We’ve published a summary of three reports released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) These report on the science of climate change, the impacts and adaptation options and the mitigation of climate change. Read the summary.

On 25 October, Professor Peter Bruce, Vice President of the Royal Society made a statement ahead of COP27. Read the full statement.

Read Professor Eric Wolff FRS's reflections on the outcome of the COP27 conference in his blog post COP27 - a lack of ambition.

Our policy briefing Locked away: geological carbon storage outlines the latest evidence on the practicalities and challenges associated with storing CO2– necessary to keep global warming temperatures below 1.5°C.

Net zero by 2050

Following on from the COP26 agreement and the publication of the reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), technologies and research will be crucial to delivering net zero. The Royal Society has highlighted 12 critical areas that should be prioritised for achieving ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions and responding to climate change. Explore the briefings.

Read a blog post from Vice-President of the Royal Society, Professor Peter Bruce FRS, on Science, engineering, and technology: essential partners on the road to net zero

The basics of climate change

In 2020 we worked with the US National Academy of Sciences to review and update the science and statistics behind answers to 20 key questions from the public around climate change. Discover the answers to your questions.

Reversing biodiversity loss

Today, the Earth is losing biodiversity at rates not seen in the modern era. Sir David Attenborough describes the purpose and plight of biodiversity in this short animation. We've also answered 16 key questions about biodiversity, and summarised the major challenges and opportunities for action on biodiversity.

Further resources

We're also producing briefings for policy makersclassroom resources, event series, blog posts, scientific journal articles and engaging interactive experiences to help better communicate the challenges we're facing.

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