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According to a recent article in this journal, the failure of policy action on climate change despite scientific consensus points to a broken science–society contract. To avoid this ‘tragedy of climate science’, the authors call for a moratorium on its production. As scholars of, and participants in, global science–policy interfaces, we recognize the authors’ assumptions and reasonings but also see an urgent need for a deeper understanding of the current limitations of environmental research, and the challenges of connecting knowledge to policy and society. Rather than a blanket moratorium, we argue that what is needed is a profound transformation of environmental research. This entails a shift in research priorities towards currently marginalized approaches in social sciences, humanities and participatory research, to generate a much-needed understanding of obstacles to action and just and equitable strategies for …