Professor Johan Rockströmis an internationally recognized scientist who , in his various career , has made significant contributions towards globular sustainability narratives in the scientific and encompassing residential area . As Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam , it stand to reason that he – alongside David Attenborough – should lead a recent documentary surrounding the challenges citizen of Earth face under the ongoing climate crisis . Breaking boundary : The Science Of Our Planet , now bare on Netflix , touch on the processes which underpin the planet ’s acquire fragility and what we can do to secure our time to come . However , asRockströmtells us , even the grimmest of statistics are n’t always enough to engage a global interview .
What do you do ?
I am Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam .
How did you get here ?
I lived in Brazil as a small child and then in Italy , but I am a Swede . My childhood was spent in quite a messy , challenging , waste - loaded São Paulo so I saw environmental degradation even as a small fry , not that I was so influenced by that at the sentence . It was when I came back to Sweden for in high spirits schooling that I determine I wanted to be part of the solution when it comes to solving some of the bigger challenge in the humankind .
So , I started at the University of Cultural Sciences in Uppsala , which is where I was first lectured by one of the humans - leading external hydrologist , Professor Malin Falkenmark . She gave this just idea boggling talking to on all the numbers , demonstrating water scarcity under mood change , and the challenge of provide novel piss to a chop-chop growing population . That ’s what contribute me to accredit that this is a journey I really wanted to ship on . So , I necessitate her directly after that lecture if I could do my schoolmaster ’s dissertation for her and she agreed , and we ’ve been wreak together since then .
After I finished at the university , I realized I want to broaden myself further , so I get going to France to analyze spheric economics and the social science side of the challenges we face , which bring me to Africa . I did a study in West Africa and that was a bit of a stupor , in reality , to come on the ground and see at first hand the poverty and how our health and access to water can check our living . I was just in the south of the Sahara Desert , so really in the Sahel , and it was there I decided to do a PhD which was mostly about urine resources .
When I finished my Ph.D. in 1997 , I started working for a Research Institute in the Netherlands and that bring me to Zimbabwe . I became an associate prof at the University of Zimbabwe , where I stayed for four days until I received a phone call from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who wanted to know if I was interested in returning to Sweden to lead the Stockholm Environment Institute . Three years after that , we had the wandering boundary framework establish . So , I gathered scientists from around the world to really prove and associate the Transportation on what do we know about how to be shop steward of the whole major planet .
It was from there I proceed on to the University of Potsdam as a Professor in Earth System Science . As you could see , it ’s through all of these experiences that I have gradually build on my expertness step - by - step .
What are some of the vulgar challenge you confront in your line of body of work ?
I think one of the early challenge , which has admittedly arrive well-fixed in late time , has been pursuing interdisciplinary scientific discipline and connecting subject field within the natural sciences . I mean , bringing together climate science , ecology , hydrology , dirt science , agronomy , is challenging in itself . But then to also connect the social sciences and the natural sciences is an even large challenge – and it ’s not so well take in in all academic circles . On top of that , you jar with faculty complex body part , how fiscal resources are canalize , and things like that , so that is always been a challenge .
Another challenge is that being a scientist , I ’m driven by hypothesis of change because it ’s the only thing that I can kick in . So essentially , I ’m just communicating the evidence which has to talk for itself . But that is sometimes challenged by skeptics and denialists . There ’s this incessant questioning of the evidence which has chivvy mood skill , and therefore also my own work for a retentive time .
There ’s also a perpetual reconciliation act for academic , in engage your science and bring on your peer - reviewed research , but at the same time really communicate that science out to broader society . I feel there ’s been a very significant movement there where we as a community are stepping outdoors of our comfort zone much more often to actively communicate our science . That has not always been the case . And it remains a challenge because often what we ’re hear to put across is quite complicated , because all scientific discipline is always associate with an inevitable level of complexity and uncertainty . Unfortunately , that ’s what media usually dislike : complexness and uncertainty . So , there ’s this trivial collision point there on top of which you have the tendency of the media to oversimplify , which can run to misunderstand the refinement of the science . On the other hand , I think media has become much better and play such an important role . So , you know , it ’s also a learning exercise for us , as scientists .
The breakthrough you make , while important , can be quite overpowering to comprehend . How do you stay inspired to keep on working in this domain of science ?
Of of course , you ’re ripe . A meaning helping of the work that I ’m advancing comes up with conclusions that convey the content that we are , if anything , at even higher risk than we antecedently thought . We in the earth system sciences are sit on so much grounds surrounding dangerous risks . So yes , it ’s a challenge just to keep the humor up , but I must admit that in person , I do n’t have any problems keeping myself motivated . For the simple reason that my frustration has turned into what I would call constructive anger . It becomes like a pursuance and a province to convey the truth .
I sometimes just sit back and say , “ How can we not rise and figure out this more decisively , number one . But number two , how can I stick quiet about this ? ” No . I need to act . I need to also be part of this conversation , part of engross and being innovative in create new alliance and offering myself in the avail of humanity . Because I can not sit here with this really critical insider data that influences the outcome for so many . If you were sitting here fuck that a train is going to dash into a building , you would find fault up the earphone and warn somebody . I think many scientist today feel that we have an obligation to warn , and we have an responsibility to tell the taradiddle . An evidence - establish narration of the future that we can come across if we solve this .
There is more than foiling , however , because we have so much evidence that we still have result . Solutions that are increasingly proven to give better outcomes for health , for security measures , for ataraxis and for scale down risk of pandemics , and even for better economies and jobs . We can clear this in ways that make us all winners .
What advice would you give to people who want to do their part ?
I remember the most crucial thing that we can do today as , as cohabitants of dry land , is to talk to each other and to spread the message . endeavor to followthe science , test to speak aboutthe evidence , stress to mouth about the trouble thatwe’re facing ; theice is meltingfaster than ever , the forests are being cut down – which is unimaginable to take because we need to keep thebiodiversityand the carbon sinks intact .
We need to keep a lively debate border what is at post and introduce a novel narrative of how sustainability can give good outcomes . I say this because we are in a very interesting consequence right now . We ’re so close to a social tipping point , but we ’re not across that tipping point yet . It ’s not as if we can say we ’re in a home rivulet now towards decarburize the mankind saving , oh no . But there are so strong signs that we will soon go far at a point of no proceeds in realize the goal of the fogy fuel era , for example .
I do n’t cogitate we postulate a lot more pushing to follow , but the pushing must follow from the the great unwashed . It must make out from the conversation , that willingness to act among us citizens . If every single talks to one admirer about how important it is to keep the whole mood , nature , and environment agenda hold out , I call back that is number one .
Number two is that while the choices we make may seem very insignificant as an individual , when they add up , they influence the big forces around us . That think the alternative we make as to what we eat , how we go to employment ; if we go by cycle , public transport or our own gondola . The pick we make to trade from ember - powered electricity to air current - power electricity , all these choices count and they come together to make a heavy difference .
