Despite decades of producing climate change knowledge and engaging in science communication and policy advising, there is still no discernable structural shift from a high- to a low- or even zero-carbon-emissions development pathway. This editorial comment asks about status problems of climate change knowledge (and climate scientists), suggesting a broader perspective on combinations of knowledge – power – identity which situates knowledge in an unavoidably multipolar, multiplex and multidimensional society that is constantly evolving. Future reviews could thus seek to answer the following questions: What is knowledge in such a multifaceted society? Where is knowledge generated in society? How is access to knowledge structured? What kind of knowledge is needed, and for whom? The domain “social status of climate change knowledge” can thus contribute to a better understanding of the complex relations between climate change and social change by providing solid reviews on the social status of climate change knowledges in the plural, embedded in a broad understanding of the co-evolutions of science and society.