Shape the Climate Overshoot Narrative
What is climate overshoot?
Climate overshoot refers to a period in which global temperatures temporarily rise above the internationally agreed limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, before potentially returning below it later through emission cuts and carbon dioxide removal.
An overshoot scenario is becoming more and more likely due to delayed climate action and continued greenhouse gas emissions. Even a temporary overshoot could have lasting and irreversible impacts, such as the loss of coral reefs, accelerated ice sheet melting, and the crossing of critical tipping points in the Earth system.
Facing the risk of surpassing 1.5°C warming, this conference unites scientists to build shared understanding and drive urgent action.
Why we need a climate overshoot narrative:
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Overshoot has serious risks: Temporary warming above 1.5°C can trigger irreversible impacts, like ecosystem loss and the crossing of tipping points.
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It raises justice concerns: Vulnerable populations face the greatest impacts despite contributing least to the problem.
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Clear narratives guide action: A shared understanding helps inform science, policy, and public engagement.
- A narrative is needed to face the reality of overshoot: As the possibility of climate overshoot is growing, a narrative can help society process the emotional weight, build courage and move forward with responsibility.
Overshoot isn’t just a scientific issue. It’s a societal and ethical one. That’s why shaping a strong narrative around it is so important and leads to the promotion of urgent and fair climate action.
While science aims to provide the full picture, art can help us better relate to it.
Art can support science by opening space for reflection and helping us connect on a deeper human level.
That’s why we are inviting artists of all disciplines to become part of this exchange. On the second day of the conference (October 1), we plan to have a market-like space where people can move around freely and either look at posters or engage in small discussion groups. We aim to complete this afternoon with providing a dedicated art space to explore how artistic expression can contribute to communicating the social, ethical, and emotional dimensions of climate overshoot, and support a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.
We welcome visual, performative, installation-based, and interdisciplinary formats-both existing works and ideas you would like to create.
To give you a better sense of the conference content, you’ll find the conference themes here.
What we offer:
- A platform to showcase your work and engage with international scientists
- An honorarium of €300 per selected contribution (including materials)
- Participation in the full conference program
We are looking to select up to five artists.
How to apply:
Please send your proposal (max. 1 page), including a short description of your idea or artwork, your preferred format, and a short bio to [email protected]
Deadline: July 14, 2025
After the submission deadline, selected artists will be invited to a follow-up meeting to go over final details and logistics. No further meetings are planned-after that, we’ll see you at the exhibition!
We are very much looking forward to your ideas and to creating a shared narrative around climate overshoot!