Johan Rockström in Conversation with Mette Morsing

The climate realities and scientific advances of this and recent years pose fundamental questions: are we witnessing the breakdown in the resilience of our planet? Is our Earth system approaching tipping points, beyond which large-scale, catastrophic change will become irreversible? How can we steer our planet back within safe Planetary Boundaries that respect that respect the fundamental needs and rights of all people? And how can the international community safeguard not just shared resources, but critical functions of the Earth system?

Johan Rockström is the Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a Professor of Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam. He is an internationally recognized scientist on global sustainability issues and led the development of the Planetary Boundaries framework for human development in the current era of rapid global change. Professor Rockström is a leading scientist on global water resources, with more than 25 years of experience in applied water research in tropical regions, and more than 150 research publications in fields ranging from applied land and water management to global sustainability. He is a member of the European Commission expert group: Mission Board for Adaptation to Climate Change including societal transformation, chair of the Earth Commission, Chief Scientist of Conservation International, and elected member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.