The urgent need for social science and humanities knowledge for climate action in Europe

To meet its 2050 climate neutrality goal, the EU must undergo a rapid economic and societal transformation.While scientific knowledge on the causes and impacts of climate change is established, comparatively little research focuses on understanding the myriad social and political aspects of this transformation.Natural science disciplines have robustly established that climate change is a paramount challenge for humanity and, indeed, these disciplines have received the lion's share of funding for climate research 1.The resultant knowledge gap is, however, jarring, as the barriers and delays to climate action are primarily embedded in social and political domains.We are increasingly confronted with real-world evidence of the failure to pay sufficient attention to the political and societal dimensions of sustainability transformations.Contentious politics and social unrest, in the forms of the French 'yellow vests' (2018-2020) and farmers' protests (2023)(2024), are prominent examples that demonstrate public discontent and backlash to how the economic burdens and benefits of the EU's green transition are distributed in a context of cost-of-living strains.Societal sentiments of disenfranchisement have led some segments of the population to shift their political preferences to support far-right parties that prevent or delay climate policy 2,3.Other segments of society, including youth involved in climate movements, argue that the EU is not decarbonising quickly (or radically) enough, given the gravity of the climate emergency 4.EU policymakers need to rapidly bridge the gap between climate mitigation and adaptation action and achieving a just transition for all citizens.Against this backdrop, research from social sciences and humanities on sustainability transitions is crucial, including to elucidate the relationship between democracy and climate governance in Europe.We need to understand the actors and institutions driving societal transformations, as well as those perpetuating "climate obstruction" 5.Enduring climate policies include not only ambitious targets, but also social dimensions 6.We therefore propose four research sub-fields that warrant urgent investigation.