Leading scientists at Davos including from the University of Exeter have pledged to return each year until global leaders act on the evidence about the climate and nature emergency.
"Questioning climate science today is like questioning gravity," said Professor Dr Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Chair of the Earth Commission.
"The problem is that the foundation of understanding climate science that we're standing on is actually underestimating risk and underestimating the pace of change.
"If you go into the labs of any climate science institution today you will find warming is happening faster than expected, climate tipping points are approaching, Earth resilience is declining and carbon budgets are dwindling down to almost zero."
He was speaking at the Science to Action: Road to Davos 2030 press conference, organised by Arctic Basecamp, a non-profit organisation which sets up a Polar expedition tent each year at Davos as a reminder to world leaders of the perilous state of Polar climate change.
Professor Gail Whiteman, Executive Director of Arctic Basecamp and Hoffmann Impact Professor at the University of Exeter, said 2024 had been a "tough year for science, with a lot of headwinds against us", but added: "Science will be here at Davos until we fix the problem, and we're going to keep coming back until we win for a safe and just future."
The scientists planted a flag in the snow emblazoned with the phrase "With Science We Win", urging everyone to acknowledge the evidence on climate change but also the possibility to reverse the reality.
Speaking about the challenges humanity faces, Wendy Broadgate, Executive Director of the Earth Commission and Global Hub Director at Future Earth, said: "We can't solve political, social, or economic problems without a stable and resilient planet. But too often, short-term priorities overshadow the bigger planetary risks we face.
"The science is clear: we're in a planetary emergency. Tackling these urgent challenges demands a united effort-governments, businesses, communities, and individuals coming together, informed by science, to take bold action."
The scientists stressed that the Earth system boundaries for maintaining a healthy planet and protecting people from significant harm need to be just as well as safe.
"If you look at our safe boundaries, they're good to make sure that the planet does not destabilise. But you need just boundaries to ensure you protect people and nature long before the safe boundaries and tipping elements have been crossed," said Joyeeta Gupta, from the University of Amsterdam and Earth Commission.
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Executive Chair, Earth4All/Honorary President, Club of Rome outlined how science is the way forward, saying: "Today we have a compound effect of social and environmental tipping points: while climate change and biodiversity loss increase, poverty and inequality are increasing globally.
"Anchoring all sciences and multi-disciplinary evidence at the heart of our solutions and decision-making is the only way forward. Science is here to stay. It is our pathway to a positive alternative future."
Professor Carlos Nobre, from the University of São Paulo's Institute for Advanced Studies used the Amazon as an example of the importance of science, saying: "The Amazon is so close to the tipping point, so close and and Amazonian scientists have been saying this for years and nothing is happening: deforestation, still there; global warming, still here."
