The Missing Global South in Climate Change Biology: Towards Equitable Knowledge Inclusion for Effective Global...

Area of Science:

• Climate change biology
• Bibliometrics
• Global environmental science

Background:

• Climate change biology is a critical global science field.
• Knowledge production and strategy inclusion are unequal, with ~80% of affiliations from Global North institutions.
• This imbalance perpetuates historical inequalities, limiting Global South research autonomy and capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the global landscape of climate change biology research through bibliometrics.
• To identify and address the profound inequalities in knowledge production and its strategic inclusion.
• To advocate for equitable and diverse global climate change biology strategies.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of over 580,000 scientific records.
• Quantitative assessment of author affiliations and research origins.
• Qualitative review of implications for research agendas and capacity building.

Main Results:

• ~80% of author affiliations in climate change biology originate from Global North institutions.
• Research agendas are largely shaped outside regions of highest biodiversity and climate vulnerability.
• Global South countries face limitations in autonomous research and long-term monitoring due to external funding and research origins.

Conclusions:

• Inequitable research structures exclude local scientists, leading to loss of traditional knowledge and regional perspectives.
• Tropical and subtropical bioregions remain underrepresented in global climate knowledge.
• Six actions are proposed: infrastructure investment, strengthening local networks, linking funding to capacity building, promoting data access, connecting science with policy, and fostering collaboration for effective, equitable climate change biology.