Designing a Just Climate Future

Yet, Robinson also insisted that existing international cooperation, however imperfect, remains essential. He highlighted the importance of the United Nations and the wider treaty system as the best framework currently available for collective action. While such agreements often rely on trust and voluntary commitments rather than enforcement, he argued that they remain indispensable in a fragmented world.

In this sense, the author framed science as one of humanity’s greatest collective achievements. The fact that 8 billion people can be sustained on Earth, he said, is itself the result of extraordinary advances in science, technology, medicine and cooperation. Despite public distrust or political denial, he noted that most people ultimately place their faith in science when their lives are at stake.