In 2025, Climate of the Past celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over the past two decades, the journal has become a leading open-access publication in paleoclimatology. It provides a platform for research into how the Earth’s climate has changed over time, and how these changes can inform our understanding of the current climate system.
To celebrate its anniversary, Climate of the Past decided to bring its community together over the course of a year with a series of ten free webinars. This initiative was designed as a thank you to the authors, reviewers, editors, and readers whose contributions have helped make the journal what it is today. You can find more about the webinar below.
A different way of publishing science
Founded in 2005 by four scientists, Climate of the Past was created with a clear ambition: to approach paleoclimatic publishing differently. From the beginning, the journal has used an innovative, interactive publication model developed by the European Geosciences Union (EGU), setting itself apart from more traditional approaches to scientific publishing.
Since its launch, Climate of the Past has embraced transparency and open scientific discussion. After passing an initial technical check, submitted manuscripts are made publicly available for community comments alongside the formal peer-review process.
This transparent process has remained fundamentally unchanged. It quickly attracted the interest of the European paleoclimatology community before growing to a global audience. Just two years after its creation, Climate of the Past was indexed in the Web of Science, which was an important recognition of its growing place within scientific literature.
Today, the journal is supported by an international editorial board of around 50 researchers, and is led by editors-in-chief representing major areas of paleoclimatology, such as continental, oceanic, and ice research, as well as modeling. These characteristics have helped Climate of the Past establish a clear identity in the world of scientific publishing.
Ten webinars, one global community
The webinar series reflects one of the journal’s founding principles: scientific discussion should be open and accessible. Convened by members of the editorial board, invited researchers came from the broader paleoclimate community, with the sessions were designed to bring together complementary perspectives, featuring speakers with different approaches and career stage.
This format not only showcased the breadth and scientific impact of research published in Climate of the Past, but also created space for direct interaction between researchers and the wider community.
The series covered a broad range of topics reflecting the diversity of paleoclimatology:
- Abrupt Climate Change and Tipping Points — June 2025
- High-Resolution Paleoclimate Data — July 2025
- Greenhouse Gases and Climate Sensitivity — September 2025
- Paleoclimate Modeling and Data Assimilation — October 2025
- Impact of Past Climate Change on Ecosystems and Human Societies — November 2025
- Ocean Circulation and Climate Change — December 2025
- Polar Climate History — January 2026
- Monsoon Variability — February 2026
- Volcanism and Climate — March 2026
- Paleoclimate of Extreme Events — April 2026
Together, these themes illustrate the wide range of questions addressed by paleoclimate research. Understanding past climate requires researchers to bring together evidence from many parts of the Earth system, including abrupt climate transitions, volcanic eruptions, ocean circulation, polar environments, monsoons, and extreme events. The series also emphasized the complementary roles of data and models.
These recordings are available in the “Climate of the Past 20th Anniversary” playlist on the EGU YouTube channel. This ensures that the scientific exchange can continue long after each live event. Additionally, all the oral presentation abstracts are accessible on the journal webpage.
In this sense, the anniversary series is not just a collection of one-time events. Rather, it is a lasting, open-access resource for the paleoclimate community and anyone interested in understanding the history of Earth’s climate.
Looking back, and looking ahead
Twenty years after its launch, Climate of the Past looks back on a publishing model that has remained remarkably consistent with its original vision. The journal’s commitment to open discussion, transparency, and community involvement has helped shape its identity and its relationship with paleoclimatologists worldwide.
The webinar series celebrated that history while looking toward the future. Most importantly, it reaffirmed the idea that scientific progress depends on more than just the publication of research; it also depends on the conversations that research generates.
As Climate of the Past enters its third decade, the questions facing paleoclimatologists have never been more relevant. Understanding how the climate system behaved in the past can help us identify its limits and vulnerabilities, as well as its capacity for change. Ultimately, this can improve our understanding of the climate challenges facing society today.
Hence, the anniversary is both a milestone and a starting point. It is a time to celebrate two decades of scientific discovery while continuing to promote the open exchange of ideas that has been central to Climate of the Past since 2005.
