Johan Rockström
Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Sustainability Studies (2014-2015)
The Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Sustainability Studies at the University of Cambridge explores the many aspects of how sustainability can be applied in global society now and in the future. Of pressing importance, this initiative brings Visiting Professors with multidisciplinary expertise in the environment, business, social sciences, and policy to address how sustainability can be an opportunity rather than a burden.
The Visiting Professorship in Sustainability Studies is made possible by the generous support of the Tellus Mater Foundation and is hosted by Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
Johan Rockström is Executive Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
In his opening lecture, Human Prosperity within Planetary Boundaries, Professor Rockström argues that Humanity is at a juncture in which we now face real risks of large and irreversible changes in the environmental living conditions on Earth. This redefines world development. Now, rising evidence shows that global sustainability is a prerequisite to attain social and economic development at all scales, from local communities to the global economy. A new paradigm for sustainable development is therefore needed, defined by the new challenge of attaining long term human prosperity within the safe operating space of a resilient and stable planet. “Planetary Boundaries” constitute a scientific framework that enables the definition of this safe operating space, defined to provide the world with a high chance of safeguarding a stable planet for future generations.
Professor Rockström’s second lecture, Planetary Boundaries 2.0: Advancements on Defining a Safe Operating Space for Humanity on Earth, examines the key elements of scientific advancement that formed the ingredients of the Planetary Boundaries framework. Since its original publication the Planetary Boundaries framework has triggered major scientific scrutiny, debate and advancements. This has triggered new integrated research on global governance and equity dimensions of planetary stewardship of a safe and just operating space within planetary boundaries.
