The second day of the Planetary Science Pavilion deepened the conversation on what science demands from policy. From the first public presentation of the COP30 Science Committee to the unveiling of the Amazon Assessment Report 2025, the Pavilion became a space where evidence and values met, showing that science, governance, and Indigenous knowledge must work together to guide humanity back to a safe and just path.

Scientists are not only shaping global understanding of the climate crisis but helping anchor the negotiations themselves in scientific reality. Their leadership, grounded in the Planetary Boundaries framework, Tipping Points and in Amazon science, defines the Pavilion’s spirit: one of accountability, collaboration, and hope rooted in evidence.

The COP30 Science Committee Takes the Stage: The day opened with Johan Rockström, Thelma Krug, and Chris Field presenting the scientific pillars guiding this COP Presidency: staying below 1.5 °C, managing overshoot responsibly, and scaling carbon removal technologies without compromising integrity. Rockström reminded negotiators that “science leaves no room for doubt — this is the decisive decade for climate action.” The discussion underscored the Pavilion’s mission: to ensure that every policy agreed in Belém aligns with what the planet’s systems can sustain.

Overshooting 1.5 °C: Tipping Point Risks and Governance: Led by Tim Lenton, scientists examined what happens if humanity overshoots 1.5 °C — and how close we already are to thresholds that could irreversibly alter ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest, coral reefs, and the Atlantic circulation. The conversation connected physical science to governance: tipping points are not just ecological boundaries but political ones. Planetary Guardian Carlos Nobre stressed that “if deforestation and warming continue, the Amazon could reach the point of no return before 2050 — and that would be ecological suicide for the planet.”

Living Beyond Limits: Managing Overshoot and Preserving Life-Supporting Systems: Peter Schlosser, Johan Rockström, and colleagues emphasized practical solutions to minimize the time we spend beyond planetary safety. Rockström reiterated that the world must cut emissions “at least 5 percent every year this decade” while scaling both nature-based and technological carbon removal. Rapid fossil-fuel phase-out and renewable-energy expansion were highlighted as the fastest ways to shorten overshoot and restore stability.

Safeguarding Climate Action: A deep-dive on the 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2025, led by Injy Johnstone, focused on carbon markets and CO₂ removal, urging a reframing of credits and removals as contributions, not offsets — ensuring that CDR complements emissions cuts rather than replaces them. This conversation echoed one of the Pavilion’s core Planetary Guardians messages: integrity in both science and policy must come before convenience — because credibility is now the currency of climate action.

The Amazon Assessment Report 2025: Knowledge for a Living Planet: Closing the day, the Science Panel for the Amazon launched the Amazon Assessment Report 2025 — the first session of the Pavilion held fully in Portuguese and Spanish. Moderated by Emma Torres, the event brought together Planetary Guardian Carlos Nobre, Marielos Peña-Claros, Sinéia do Vale, Marcelo Behar, José Marengo, Melina Risso, Sandra Hacon, Fany Kuiru, Gregorio Mirabal, Eduardo Brondizio, Mariana Gómez Soto, Marina Hirota, Martin von Hildebrand, and Roberto Waack.

Speakers highlighted the Amazon’s critical role in maintaining global climate stability and emphasized the urgent need for connectivity between science, policy, and ancestral knowledge. Nobre described the Amazon as “the Earth’s greatest infrastructure — a system that stores 150 billion tons of carbon and helps sustain climate stability worldwide.”

Sinéia do Vale, representing Indigenous peoples of Brazil and Indigenous Scientist Awardee, reminded the audience:

“If we do not guarantee life on this planet, rising temperatures will kill us all — they already are killing plants, animals, rivers, and our cultures. We need to work collectively, scientists and Indigenous peoples together, to save the planet.”

Her words grounded the day’s science in lived experience, calling for a transition that is not only green but deeply human.

If Day 1 established the Pavilion as a home for science inside the negotiations, Day 2 showed its potential as a bridge, linking evidence with ethics and data with solidarity. Co-chairs and Planetary Guardians, Johan Rockström and Carlos Nobre reminded participants that the Pavilion’s purpose is not only to present science but to translate it into collective action. The day ended with a reception of shared food and drinks, where scientists, policymakers, and Indigenous leaders continued their conversations — a reminder that cooperation, like planetary stability, begins in community.