Nobody knows how the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged at the start of 2020 will impact our planet, but ideas will be shared at an upcoming science forum in Shanghai.

Carbon emissions have temporarily dropped as a result of the outbreak, so will COVID-19 be a turning point in the quest to rein in global warming? As countries are pulling together to defeat the pandemic, will their efforts lead to a new era of cooperation to prevent climate disasters? 

Conversely, could the temporary drop in carbon emissions be little more than a blip? Could countries turn again to cheap fossil fuels under the pressure brought by economic downturns, potentially leading to a soar in carbon emissions and more rapid global warming?

The 2020 Pujiang Innovation Forum will take place on August 31 and will be chaired by Nature senior editor Jiang Xujia, with guests including Professor Myles Allen from the University of Oxford and Professor Denise Mauzerall from Princeton University.