Global progress on climate change in 2021 was marked by two important occasions. Firstly, the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) on the science of climate change in August. The second was the United Nations 26^th Conference of the Parties (COP26) held in Glasgow in November.

The IPCC’s report made it clear that unless the world takes immediate action to rapidly and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we will not meet the targets set out in the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below the agreed 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. This set the tone for discussions at COP26, which in-turn led to a renewed focus on 2030 emissions reductions targets as vital to achieving the Paris Agreement goals.

ANU researchers made significant contributions to the conversation around both the IPCC climate report and COP26, with media coverage for each event reaching a potential audience in the tens of millions. The ICEDS public lecture on findings of the IPCC report was attended by over 1,000 people, which makes it the highest-attended event that the Institute has hosted, and our Pacific-outreach project provided guidance to decision-makers across the region. Many ICEDS members provided their insights on the COP26 negotiations and related matters, with some also attending the conference in person, showing the considerable breadth of expertise at ANU.

Over the past 12 months, ANU-led research has also made substantial progress in the area of health and climate change. Professor Sharon Friel was awarded a Laureate Fellowship from the Australian Research Council to support her research into global health inequities with a particular focus on climate change. As well, a new national research network funded by the NHMRC and led by ANU - the Healthy Environments And Lives (HEAL) network – was launched. The HEAL network comprises over 100 researchers and major partners in every State and Territory who will create a risk assessment of current and future health burdens driven by environmental change in Australia and identify pathways to manage these risks. HEAL is set to play a key role in the national conversation on this issue.

2021 was also the year that ANU officially launched the Below Zero Initiative, making it one of the first universities in the world to commit to transitioning to below zero net emissions by 2030. The Below Zero project team has expanded over this year, to include key personnel across ANU central departments. In 2022, we look forward to implementing many of the projects that have been developed this year to enact the major organisational and behavioural changes necessary to reduce our net greenhouse gas emissions.

On the following pages you will read about these and other areas of focus for ANU climate change research in 2021. We look forward to engaging with you on these important matters in the coming year, which will see the release of three additional IPCC reports, as well as many other developments.

Professor Mark Howden
Director & Head of Climate
ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions