Joe Biden becomes U.S. president tomorrow - and high on his agenda is reversing four years of backsliding on U.S. climate action.

Democratic control of the U.S. Senate - thanks to key wins in Georgia - should help clear his way to spend more pandemic stimulus cash on green job-creating measures such as expanding renewable energy use and building a nationwide electric-vehicle charging network.

On his first day in office, Biden will move to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change - but his win could also spark more global advances on climate policy, from elevating it within the G7 and G20 to more attention on climate issues at the U.N. Security Council and the World Trade Organization.

One key to Biden's success in spurring climate action at home will be persuading more Americans global warming is their worry. A new "Science Moms" campaign aims to do just that, by harnessing mothers' fears for their children in order to better protect the planet for them and future generations.

"I'm hoping I can help shift the message from just, 'kids are impacted by climate change' to 'your kids are impacted by climate change'," said Emily Fischer, one scientist and mother featured in campaign ads launched last week.

And there's plenty of reason to think children are at particular risk - not least a new study showing climate change is already harming children's diets and reversing gains against malnutrition.

As climate-related threats grow - from floods in Borneo to worsening heat in Southeast Asia and storms in southern Africa - spending more pandemic recovery cash now to adapt to warming and lower the risks makes sense, said Inger Andersen, head of the U.N. Environment Programme.

"We will probably not have a situation (again) like the one we have right now, where we are seeing that amount of money going into economy - let's not miss this chance," she urged.

The alternative to taking on climate change, nature losses and over-consumption more aggressively could be a "ghastly future" of growing hunger, political division and societal breakdown, leading scientists warned.

"We are not investing in a future that will lead to the greatest good for the greatest number. We need to inspire massive political change - bottom-up change," said Daniel Blumstein, a biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

What can you do to help? Have a look at our new video explainer on how over-consumption contributes to climate change, with some ideas of where cutting back really counts.

See you next week!

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