On October 14th and 15th, Johan Rockström, one of the scientific modellers of the Earth4All initiative, and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, a project lead, were invited to talk at a TED conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. Johan Rockström, Per Espen Stoknes and Till Kellerhoff also led an Earth4All workshop, looking at the systems approach needed to face the environmental and social challenges coming our way.
In the context not only of the planetary emergency, but also of the pandemic, Sandrine’s intervention placed the attention on the need to think differently and bring traditionally excluded voices to the process, to “co-design the alternative future that we want. As the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Club Of Rome report The Limits to Growth approaches, the project Earth4All looks into systems-thinking for transformation.
“How many times were we told that we cannot transform fast enough? Well the pandemic has proven that we can”, Sandrine stated. Earth4All will build on new research in environmental, social and economics sciences to develop concrete pathways – but it is the role of everyone to raise their voices and advocate for this possible alternative future, she explained in a call for action.
Johan Rockström contextualised the need for the Earth4All within the three most important messages from science in 2021: the IPCC code red, the imminent risk of environmental tipping points, but also the fact that the window is still open. By providing a holistic in-depth analysis and mapping of the human and environmental system, Earth4All contributes to the transformation by providing a concrete framework for action.
Keep an eye out for the release of the recordings of Johan’s and Sandrine’s talks, which we will share on social media!
