As global temperatures continue to rise beyond the 1.5°C threshold, understanding the implications of climate overshoot has become one of the defining scientific and policy challenges of our time. Following the success of the inaugural Overshoot Conference in Laxenburg, Austria, the second Overshoot Conference will take place from 24–25 November 2026 in Beijing, China, bringing together leading researchers, policymakers, innovators, and communicators to advance the global dialogue on overshoot pathways and responses.
Hosted in collaboration with Tsinghua University, the conference marks a big step in expanding the international conversation on climate overshoot to a broader global context, while also creating space for a regional focus on Asia. By convening experts from across disciplines and regions, the conference aims to strengthen scientific cooperation and explore actionable pathways for mitigation, adaptation, and equitable governance in a world increasingly shaped by overshoot realities.
“Overshooting 1.5°C demands a paradigm shift in how we confront the climate crisis. It calls for an emergency response that rapidly scales up mitigation and adaptation, while simultaneously developing carbon dioxide removal to ultimately halt and reverse global warming. Bringing these interconnected challenges into focus is precisely what the Overshoot Conference is designed to do” says Prof. Dr. Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Principal Research Scholar at IIASA and one of the lead organizers of the conference.
The conference will feature eight themes, each led by internationally recognized experts:
- Highest possible mitigation ambition under overshoot, peak and decline pathways
- Earth System responses to net negative emissions and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
- Technological solutions for decarbonization and negative emissions
- Climate impact ir(reversibility)
- Overshoot legacy and tipping elements
- Health implications of overshoot pathways
- Adaptation & adaptation limits, and loss & damage under climate overshoot
- Governance and equity of overshoot pathways
The updated themes for the second Overshoot Conference in Beijing reflect a stronger focus on solutions, implementation, and societal impacts. New themes include technological solutions for decarbonization and negative emissions as well as the health implications of overshoot pathways. The governance discussion has expanded from legal and justice implications to broader questions of equity and international governance, while adaptation, adaptation limits, and loss and damage are now addressed together in one integrated theme. At the same time, core topics such as mitigation ambition, Earth system responses, climate impact ir(reversibility), and tipping elements remain central to the conference.
A call for abstracts will be published in mid-June.