Science for Survival

Abstract

Abstract:The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a reminder that major and relatively unpredictable events can have a massive impact on the planet's biosphere. Climate change poses an existential threat that requires a global response. The only major organization with the competence and experience to lead a global response is the UN multilateral system. This essay suggests ways this system could exploit the potential of the international scientific and technological community to address the climate crisis, though the political impacts could be profound and destabilizing.