Planetary Science Briefings

This first session of 2026 convened Planetary Guardians alongside leaders from science and finance, including Andrew Steer, Rachel Jetel, Colin le Duc, Johan Rockström, and Jean Oelwang, to assess where we stand and what it will take to safeguard planetary stability.

Speakers agreed that this is no longer a crisis of solutions, but of speed, scale, and governance. Clean energy is now the lowest-cost option, with USD 2.3 trillion invested in the energy transition last year, exceeding new fossil fuel investment. Yet finance remains misaligned, with capital concentrated in lower-risk markets while high-emitting sectors and much of the Global South remain underfinanced.

A key message was the need to end fossil fuel subsidies, which still total trillions of dollars annually and continue to undermine clean energy progress. Drawing on the State of Climate Action, speakers also emphasized that while the transition has begun, it is not yet fast enough to align with 1.5°C pathways.

From a science perspective, Johan Rockström warned that Earth system resilience is weakening after three consecutive years above 1.5°C. The window to act remains open, but outcomes now depend on how rapidly emissions fall and how effectively nature is restored.