Which are the next walls to fall in planetary boundary science?
Key takeaways from the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023
The Falling Walls Science Summit took place from 7 to 9 November in Berlin, Germany, marking its 15th edition. Falling Walls is a leading international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral forum for science discovery and scientific dialogue among leading scientists and society worldwide. The annual event serves as a catalyst for innovation, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and promoting breakthrough thinking.
Frontiers Research Foundation, in collaboration with the Falling Walls Foundation, organized a session around planetary boundary science. This session, the Planetary Boundary Science: Advancing Science to Save the Planet round table, focused on whether we are producing the right science to find these solutions and provide the answers needed to get the right stakeholders on board. Jean-Claude Burgelman, director of the Frontiers Planet Prize, professor of Open Science Policy (Free University of Brussels), and former Head of Unit for Open Science Policy at the European Commission, moderated the round table.
Below, we offer a summary of the expertise showcased during this session.
Planetary Boundary Science
Advancing Science to Save the Planet round table
Johan Rockström
Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Chairperson of the Jury of 100, Frontiers Planet Prize
“All these transformation pathways, how do you go from quantifications to budget to fairer distribution and pathways to the future?
The Frontiers Planet Prize really is all about giving scientific evidence of whether we can actually follow pathways back to a safe landing. That's the combination, the beauty, of quantifying the safe boundaries, translating them to policy and governance, and accelerating transformation pathways.”
In 2009, the first planetary boundaries assessment challenged the scientific community on whether sustainable development should be redefined as prosperity and equity within a stable and resilient planet, quantitatively defining a safe operating space for humanity that kept the planet in the equilibrium state represented by the Holocene, the only state known for certain to support humanity. This concept came from the integration of three areas of science: the great acceleration, tipping points, and resilience and complex dynamics that affect the future of humanity on earth. Johan Rockström expressed that only now are we reaching the point of maturity in understanding that we need a systems approach for the planet to guide sustainable development, but not enough progress has been made. As of 2023, six of the nine planetary boundaries have been crossed.
We are at risk of destabilizing the whole system. What's needed is more research; research to know and forecast the trajectory of the extreme weather patterns we are witnessing, research to refine the tipping points and define the safe operating zones more precisely. Science can be the voice of the earth system. This knowledge can then be translated into boundaries, budget allocations, and equitable resource distribution. Supporting planetary science with funding and through initiatives like the Frontiers Planet Prize can stimulate scientific discovery and accelerate solutions for healthy lives on a healthy planet as time is of the essence.
Paul Behrens
Associate Professor, Leiden University
Frontiers Planet Prize international champion 2023
“How do we improve the resilience of our systems under this increasing climate stress? The more optimistic side is then painting a vision for the future. Can you build a narrative around [a more resilient future], instead of this small scary future that we're heading to?”
Scientists are concerned by the compounding effects of the climate crisis. Using food systems as an example, Paul Behrens explained how these systems are under pressure worldwide, which will likely translate to substantial increases in the cost of food and in turn the cost of living, which then increases social stress. We need science to investigate what will happen in these scenarios, how things could unfold, and what can be done to prevent it. Research can help us determine how to adapt and make our systems more resilient to climate stress. If the right steps are taken, like dietary change and rewilding land in the case of the food systems example, we can work with climatic change and improve our resilience. This science is new and can be frightening, but it can also enable us to imagine a better future, one that is achievable with the right sustainable choices. Having strong, science-based narratives will prepare people for what is coming, while also showing them what is possible. This hope can be a powerful force for change and, as Behrens concluded, even minorities can change majority norms with the right commitment.
Wendy Broadgate
Global Hub Director, Future Earth
“The planet is a system of interconnected cycles, and we need very interconnected science to understand the systems themselves, how we people are perturbing those systems, and what solutions we need to bring our behavior and our activities back within planetary boundaries.”
We need science that reflects the complexity and interdependence of earth's systems. Although there is excellent research being done in different fields, there is a greater need for more interdisciplinary science. This will help researchers to understand the bigger picture and find holistic solutions to climate change. Wendy Broadgate highlighted that an accompanying shift in thinking towards more systemic solutions will be key, so that these solutions do not only benefit certain areas while causing harm to others. For example, the food system is linked to the water cycle, land use change, biodiversity, and the climate system, among others. To best address issues in the food system, we need to look at what is happening in these other areas and that requires the expertise of scientists from multiple disciplines working together in collaboration.
Additionally, Broadgate advised scientists to speak the language of policymakers and discuss topics like risks and economic effects when sharing solutions. This can improve the dialogue between science and policy and help overcome the existing challenges of communicating scientific consensus and being more included in the decision-making process.
Maria Nilsson
Professor, Umeå University
Frontiers Planet Prize national champion 2023
“We need to see that we have a huge gap. Most of the research today comes from researchers in the Global North and as researchers, we need to team up with scientists from the Global South to build capacity together
Professor Maria Nilsson’s research in the areas of climate change and health allows her to put a face to it, helping people understand how climate change affects their lives, both now and in the future. This way of sharing science through narratives engages the public and demands clear action from policymakers. It also reveals a necessary skill for scientists: communication. Scientists need to know how to communicate with different audiences and how to talk about change. A lot can be learned from history, as seen through research on public health and tobacco, for example.
Even more can be done by joining together. Solving global problems requires a global network of scientists working alongside one another on the latest research that reflects diverse communities worldwide and then effectively communicating this information to relevant stakeholders to spur change at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels.
Jean Claude Burgelman
Editor in Chief, Frontiers Policy Labs
Director, Frontiers Planet Prize
“The Frontiers Planet Prize is a competition based on scientific excellence, contributing to better understanding [of planetary science], showing potential ways forward and potential ways to scale, connecting several of the boundaries so that we don't have micro solutions, but rather something that can be planetary.”
There is hope that one day there will be a new science that studies the planet as a whole and includes many of the individual sciences we have now, such as environmental science, global health, and sustainability. Research across these areas is essential to guide sustainable development as Burgelman and many others have shared. The closer these scientists collaborate, the better we will understand how the earth’s interconnected systems function. This knowledge will enable us to define safe operating spaces and identify solutions for a healthy, sustainable future more accurately. Concerted global effort and the support of initiatives like the Frontiers Planet Prize make finding such solutions possible. Launched by the Frontiers Research Foundation in 2022 on Earth Day, the Frontiers Planet Prize is a global competition that rewards science that helps the planet remain within one of the nine planetary boundaries. As the community grows, the Frontiers Planet Prize will be able to stimulate more planetary boundary science worldwide, and ultimately more innovation, through a butterfly effect.
Falling Walls Circle Round Table
Planetary Boundary Science: Advancing to Save the Planet
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