Climate policy in an era of polycrisis and opportunities in systems transformations

We wrote of a ‘new era’ for climate policy, in our opening editorial when we took on the role of editors-in-chief of the journal Climate Policy seven years ago. With the Paris Agreement entering into force, we saw domestic implementation of climate action as a new defining theme, along with ‘pushing countries towards the progressively greater ambition that is needed’. We contrasted the unifying moment of Paris with a fragmentation of the international policy landscape. As we write our closing editorial, geopolitical tensions are even higher and collective progress has been more difficult than hoped. Yet opportunities for system transformations to low emissions and climate resilient development abound.

At the start of our tenure, we also set out a rising need for academic thought leadership on a variety of themes. The community of authors and also reviewers has exceeded all reasonable expectations – the journal Climate Policy has gone from strength to strength.