The Global Tipping Points conference is a call to action to the research community, policymakers, and business to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of tipping points and to accelerate the required action. It is co-convened by Earth for All co-author and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research director Johan Rockström with Tim Lenton (University of Exeter) and Ricarda Winkelmann (Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology).
The programme features talks and workshops from Earth4All co-convenors, researchers and collaborators. It will cover the latest developments in both negative and positive tipping points, at scales from local to global, and from theory to practice. It will consider the risks from climate tipping points and opportunities for positive tipping points for different regions, communities, sectors, and supply chains.
Programme highlights
1 July, 11:00, Forum seminar rooms 1, 2 & 3 | Translating global system change levers into positive tipping points
Earth4All scientific collaborators Nathalie Spittler and Daniel Körner will present the experience of translating the Earth4All turnarounds into country-specific actions in Austria, using a combination of participatory system mapping with a collaborative project design approach.
This case study provides valuable insights into how targeted interventions and stakeholder engagement can activate positive tipping points, demonstrating the power of cross-sectoral collaboration in accelerating sustainability transitions. The Austrian experience offers a replicable method for designing interventions that leverage feedback dynamics to drive systemic change in diverse contexts.
1 July, 14:00, Alumni Auditorium | Governance of earth systems tipping points and risk
This panel examines the governance challenges and strategies for managing risks associated with Earth system tipping points. Speakers including Earth4All executive chair Sandrine Dixson-Decleve and deputy science director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre Per Olsson will discuss frameworks to prevent and manage irreversible changes for ecological and human systems through approaches that prioritize justice and equity, globally and across generations.
2 July, 11:00. Forum seminar rooms 1, 2 & 3 | Positive tipping points for accelerating climate and sustainability action
Scientific knowledge of positive tipping points is fragmented: little is known about interactions of governance, social, behavioural, economic, or financial mechanisms driving tipping, and its speed. Nathalie Spittler will present a new paper modelling social tension with a system dynamics approach. The model helps to assess how social tension might serve as a catalyst for positive tipping points, driving green transitions and climate adaptation while not risking collapse.
3 July 9:00, Alumni Auditorium | Positive tipping points governance and action
How do we translate research into action at the necessary pace and scale? Hear from world-leading practitioners including Earth4All collaborator and author of Doughnut Economics Kate Raworth about what it takes to go from knowledge and theories of change to real-world impact.
Online participation
Virtual participation in the plenary sessions is possible by registering as a virtual delegate.
