The ocean is the resilient thermostat of the planet both biologically and physically, with substantial scientific evidence showing multiple threats to ocean health, and investing in 30 percent targets for marine protected areas is a key measure to reduce these threats.

From an earth system science perspective, 1.5 degrees Celsius is still a possible landing zone that can still be achieved, but requires a doubling of carbon dioxide reduction pace from 2 gigatons per year (linear, 5% annually) to 4 gigatons per year to achieve a two-thirds chance of success, against current global emissions of 42 gigatons per year.

There is no safe landing to deliver the Paris Agreement by decarbonizing only the global energy system; non-CO2 gases (methane and nitrous oxide) must be reduced at the same pace as carbon dioxide to have a chance of delivering the Paris Agreement.

Air pollutants are cooling the planet, creating a paradox where one environmental problem (air pollution) is camouflaging another environmental crisis (global warming), masking the true extent of anthropogenic warming.

We need a transition not only into decarbonization of energy systems through technologies but also need 1.5 degrees Celsius lifestyles; status quo consumption patterns and growth will not take us to the Paris range—this requires both equity and behavioral and lifestyle change.

The world has entered the age of intensified mega fires, which cause enhanced climate positive feedbacks that act as a warming amplifier, with accelerated forest fire outbreaks covering increasing areas and accentuated by human-caused global warming.

Tipping elements are a real risk that cannot be ruled out; the IPCC scientific assessment shows that as scientific advances have progressed, the estimated global mean temperature at which tipping point risk occurs has dropped, with tipping point risk now assessed to lie between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius with low probability but high impact events.

Beyond individual tipping points, the scientific frontier shows risk of cascading interactions between tipping element systems where melting of the Greenland ice sheet releases cold fresh water slowing North Atlantic heat circulation, impacting monsoon patterns over the Amazon causing increased droughts and forest fires, which locks warm water in the southern ocean accelerating West Antarctic ice shelf melting.

To stay within the global carbon budget in a fair way, the richest one percent must reduce emissions by a factor of 30 while the poorest 50 percent in the world can actually increase emissions by a factor of three.

Carbon pricing is scientifically shown to accelerate the scale of transition; 61 countries have adopted a price on carbon, but it currently covers only 22 percent of global emissions and is inefficiently set at too low a level, with the European Union as the first successful regional example where carbon pricing is starting to work at over 60 euros per ton.

Nature-based solutions are absolutely fundamental to have a chance of delivering the Paris Agreement; however, the challenge is to ensure robust and resilient solutions rather than fool ourselves with offsetting mechanisms that have already been factored into the climate models that give us the remaining carbon budget.

The remaining carbon budget that allows for net zero world economy by 2050 exists only because we assume nature will continue to be a net carbon sink, so nature-based solutions cannot be used to slow down the pace of emission reductions from fossil fuel emissions.

We need to correct the market economic failure in factoring in the true cost of climate damage into economic models, with the primary entry point being health: over 7 million people per year are prematurely losing their lives because of air pollutants, which must be fully factored into the costing of climate risk.

The purpose of this scientific report is to hand over 10 new insights that every climate negotiator must have in their back pocket to be an effective negotiator at any COP meeting, particularly COP26 in Glasgow.