Cited by 958Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceClimate Change Policy and EconomicsClimate Change and Geoengineering

Social tipping dynamics for stabilizing Earth’s climate by 2050

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Otto, Ilona M., Donges, Jonathan F., Cremades, Roger, Bhowmik, Avit, Hewitt, Richard J., Lucht, Wolfgang, Rockström, Johan, Allerberger, Franziska +6 more·2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Significance: Achieving a rapid global decarbonization to stabilize the climate critically depends on activating contagious and fast-spreading processes of social and technological change within the next few years. Drawing on expert elicitation, an expert workshop, and a review of literature, which provides a comprehensive analysis on this topic, we propose concrete interventions to induce positive social tipping dynamics and a rapid global transformation to carbon-neutral societies. These social tipping interventions comprise removing fossil-fuel subsidies and incentivizing decentralized energy generation, building carbon-neutral cities, divesting from assets linked to fossil fuels, revealing the moral implications of fossil fuels, strengthening climate education and engagement, and disclosing greenhouse gas emissions information.

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  • It remains unknown whether human social dynamics will yield rapid and effective collective behavioral responses to global challenges.

    “yet it remains unknown whether human social dynamics will yield such responses”

    From Stewardship of global collective behavior (2021) · cites this paper as [16]

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  1. [93]Ott B., “The carbon asset bubble—mythos or menace? An attempted refutation” Bachelor thesis, Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2016).

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Authors
Otto, I. M., Donges, J. F., Cremades, R., Bhowmik, A., Hewitt, R. J., Lucht, W., Rockström, J., Allerberger, F., McCaffrey, M., Doe, S. S. P., Lenferna, A., Morán, N., van Vuuren, D. P., & Schellnhuber, H. J.
Affiliations
  • Leibniz Association (DE)
  • Stockholm Resilience Centre (SE)
  • Climate Service Center (DE)
  • James Hutton Institute (GB)
  • Universität Innsbruck (AT)
  • UN Climate Change community for Education, Communication and Outreach Stakeholders (ECOS), 3046 Kisbágyon, Hungary;
  • GeoSustainability Consulting, Adabraka-Accra, Ghana;
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Germinando Sociedad Cooperativa Madrid, 28012 Madrid, Spain;
  • Climate, Air and Energy, PBL Netherlands Environmental Agency, 2594 AV Den Haag, The Netherlands;
Corresponding author
  • Otto, Ilona M.
  • Donges, Jonathan F.
  • Schellnhuber, Hans Joachim
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2020-01-21
Volume
117
Issue
5
Pages
2354-2365
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W3002016767
Cited by
958
References
167
Citations by year
2026: 106 · 2025: 137 · 2024: 189 · 2023: 177 · 2022: 166 · 2021: 125 · 2020: 51 · 2016: 6
FWCI
48.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
  • Diva portal (Dalarna University Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • RENATE (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Geoengineering
Keywords
social tipping points, climate change mitigation, Paris Agreement, carbon neutrality, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, fossil fuel subsidies, decentralized energy generation, carbon-neutral cities, fossil fuel divestment, climate change education, emissions disclosure, social norms, expert elicitation

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