Facing Climate Extremes: ANDERS LEVERMANN on Society’s Tipping Point - Highlights

Facing Climate Extremes: ANDERS LEVERMANN on Society’s Tipping Point - Highlights

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Professor at Physics Institute of Potsdam University
Senior Research Scientist at Earth Institute, Columbia University

A lot of people think climate change is about avoiding the extinction of mankind. In my opinion, climate change is about putting pressure on society and disrupting society to an extent that it can't function properly anymore. So my greatest fear is that if we don't combat climate change, the weather extremes will hit us with a frequency and intensity that we will not be able to recover after each impact. And then we will start to fight with each other.

ANDERS LEVERMANN - Physics Institute of Potsdam U & Snr. Research Scientist, Earth Inst., Columbia University

ANDERS LEVERMANN - Physics Institute of Potsdam U & Snr. Research Scientist, Earth Inst., Columbia University

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Professor at Physics Institute of Potsdam University
Senior Research Scientist at Earth Institute, Columbia University

A lot of people think climate change is about avoiding the extinction of mankind. In my opinion, climate change is about putting pressure on society and disrupting society to an extent that it can't function properly anymore. So my greatest fear is that if we don't combat climate change, the weather extremes will hit us with a frequency and intensity that we will not be able to recover after each impact. And then we will start to fight with each other.

Visions of Development with Anthropologist PETER SUTORIS - Highlights

Visions of Development with Anthropologist PETER SUTORIS - Highlights

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Anthropologist, Educator, Writer & Filmmaker

As a culture, how do we approach the environment? How do we approach the planet? Within our education systems are we emphasizing our arrogance? Or are we emphasizing our humility in the face of planetary-scale challenges? I think at the moment, from what I’ve seen in a number of countries, this huge focus on the natural sciences, hard science as a way of mastering nature. And perhaps less of a focus on social sciences, humanities that allow us to reflect a bit more deeply on our relationship more fundamentally with the planet.

PETER SUTORIS - Anthropologist, Educator, Writer & Filmmaker

PETER SUTORIS - Anthropologist, Educator, Writer & Filmmaker

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Anthropologist, Educator, Writer & Filmmaker

As a culture, how do we approach the environment? How do we approach the planet? Within our education systems are we emphasizing our arrogance? Or are we emphasizing our humility in the face of planetary-scale challenges? I think at the moment, from what I’ve seen in a number of countries, this huge focus on the natural sciences, hard science as a way of mastering nature. And perhaps less of a focus on social sciences, humanities that allow us to reflect a bit more deeply on our relationship more fundamentally with the planet.

SETH M. SIEGEL: Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & NYTimes Bestselling Author of Let There Be Water - Highlights

SETH M. SIEGEL: Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & NYTimes Bestselling Author of Let There Be Water - Highlights

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Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & NYTimes Bestselling Author
Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World · Troubled Water: What's Wrong with What We Drink

On average in advanced societies, about 70% of freshwater that’s consumed is consumed by agriculture. In less developed countries, sometimes as high as 95% of the freshwater goes to agriculture, which means that you’re depleting the amount of water available for the environment. You’re depleting amount of groundwater to preserve for the future, especially in dry times, and it creates a stress for the future…What are you going to do when you have hundreds of millions of water refugees coming from places where there used to be enough water where there’s now just not enough water? What is the world going to do then?

Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World with SETH M. SIEGEL

Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World with SETH M. SIEGEL

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Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & NYTimes Bestselling Author
Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World · Troubled Water: What's Wrong with What We Drink

On average in advanced societies, about 70% of freshwater that’s consumed is consumed by agriculture. In less developed countries, sometimes as high as 95% of the freshwater goes to agriculture, which means that you’re depleting the amount of water available for the environment. You’re depleting amount of groundwater to preserve for the future, especially in dry times, and it creates a stress for the future…What are you going to do when you have hundreds of millions of water refugees coming from places where there used to be enough water where there’s now just not enough water? What is the world going to do then?

Climaginaries & Earth Systems Governance w/ JOHANNES STRIPPLE & HARRIET BULKELEY - Highlights

Climaginaries & Earth Systems Governance w/ JOHANNES STRIPPLE & HARRIET BULKELEY - Highlights

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Carbon Ruins · Climate Futures · Climaginaries · Earth Systems Governance Project

Our starting point was that a lot of the stories we tell about future worlds are quite poor. It’s not stories that are meeting the world as it is now. It’s difficult for people to inhabit the kinds of worlds that we imagine through scenarios or modelling, so there is a kind of distance between where we are now and the life worlds of a decarbonized or a post-fossil world.

Imagining a Fossil-Free Future: Climate Governance, Politics & Design w/ HARRIET BULKELEY & JOHANNES STRIPPLE:

Imagining a Fossil-Free Future: Climate Governance, Politics & Design w/ HARRIET BULKELEY & JOHANNES STRIPPLE:

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Carbon Ruins · Climate Futures · Climaginaries · Earth Systems Governance Project

Our starting point was that a lot of the stories we tell about future worlds are quite poor. It’s not stories that are meeting the world as it is now. It’s difficult for people to inhabit the kinds of worlds that we imagine through scenarios or modelling, so there is a kind of distance between where we are now and the life worlds of a decarbonized or a post-fossil world.

Mapping the Amazon: Spatial Analysis & Environmental Impact w/ CARLOS SOUZA JR.

Mapping the Amazon: Spatial Analysis & Environmental Impact w/ CARLOS SOUZA JR.

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Senior Research Associate at Imazon
Technical & Scientific Coordinator at MapBiomas

Find a balance. Use technology. And connect with nature. I think that’s really critical. There is big hope for your generation because you have better environmental education. I can see this. You are more aware of these issues. In terms of the environmental issues that we face now, we need to connect more with nature, to open up your heart for that. You have this amazing opportunity to reach out information to explore technologies through the Internet. What you choose now what we’re going to focus on, it’s really critical.

Understanding Human Impact in the Amazon with CARLOS SOUZA JR. - Highlights

Understanding Human Impact in the Amazon with CARLOS SOUZA JR. - Highlights

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Senior Research Associate at Imazon
Technical & Scientific Coordinator at MapBiomas

Find a balance. Use technology. And connect with nature. I think that’s really critical. There is big hope for your generation because you have better environmental education. I can see this. You are more aware of these issues. In terms of the environmental issues that we face now, we need to connect more with nature, to open up your heart for that. You have this amazing opportunity to reach out information to explore technologies through the Internet. What you choose now what we’re going to focus on, it’s really critical.

Understanding the Rights of Nature w/ Political Scientist, Author, Professor - Highlights

Understanding the Rights of Nature w/ Political Scientist, Author, Professor - Highlights

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Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon
Member of the United Nations Knowledge Network on Harmony with Nature

The term Rights of Nature tends to be applied to two different things. One is this underlying legal philosophy that is actually broader than just Rights of Nature, that’s probably better understood as ecological jurisprudence that may or may not be expressed in terms of rights, but because Rights of Nature is getting a lot of attention that term tends to be applied to represent this broader underlying philosophy. Of course, the other way it’s used it to refer to the legal provisions that explicitly recognize Rights for ecosystems.

The Politics of Rights of Nature: Strategies for Building a More Sustainable Future w/ CRAIG KAUFFMAN

The Politics of Rights of Nature: Strategies for Building a More Sustainable Future w/ CRAIG KAUFFMAN

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Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Oregon
Member of the United Nations Knowledge Network on Harmony with Nature

The term Rights of Nature tends to be applied to two different things. One is this underlying legal philosophy that is actually broader than just Rights of Nature, that’s probably better understood as ecological jurisprudence that may or may not be expressed in terms of rights, but because Rights of Nature is getting a lot of attention that term tends to be applied to represent this broader underlying philosophy. Of course, the other way it’s used it to refer to the legal provisions that explicitly recognize Rights for ecosystems.

Circular Design in Action: TIEMEN TER HOEVEN's Vision for Sustainable Bicycles - Highlights

Circular Design in Action: TIEMEN TER HOEVEN's Vision for Sustainable Bicycles - Highlights

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Founder & CEO of Roetz · Manufacturer of Circular Bicycles & e-Bikes

I think the next crisis is going to be a materials crisis. The whole point of moving from a zero-sum game–like who makes the best cheapest product at the lowest price and can find lowest labor somewhere around the world so someone can be happy with a new laundry machine and buy another one in five years–that’s not going to work for us.

TIEMEN TER HOEVEN - Founder & CEO of Roetz - Manufacturer of Circular Bicycles & e-Bikes

TIEMEN TER HOEVEN - Founder & CEO of Roetz - Manufacturer of Circular Bicycles & e-Bikes

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Founder & CEO of Roetz · Manufacturer of Circular Bicycles & e-Bikes

I think the next crisis is going to be a materials crisis. The whole point of moving from a zero-sum game–like who makes the best cheapest product at the lowest price and can find lowest labor somewhere around the world so someone can be happy with a new laundry machine and buy another one in five years–that’s not going to work for us.

DR. JOERI ROGELJ: Navigating Climate Policy and the Path to Net Zero - Highlights

DR. JOERI ROGELJ: Navigating Climate Policy and the Path to Net Zero - Highlights

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Director of Research at Grantham Institute, Imperial College
Author on UN Environment Programme & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

A key part of how I go about doing my research is being involved in policy discussions, policy conversations, and also by following the international climate negotiations very closely. Actually, I started my research career as a part of the Presidency of the International Climate Negotiations in 2009. After that I remained an advisor to country delegations in the international negotiations, particularly small island development states or least developed countries. That really helped me to get a sense of what the real questions are that they are struggling with.

Restoring Haiti’s Coastlines: JEAN WEINER on Marine Biodiversity - Highlights

Restoring Haiti’s Coastlines: JEAN WEINER on Marine Biodiversity - Highlights

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Goldman Environmental Prize Winner
Founder of Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine in Haiti

We’re coming out of one of the worst times for resource exploitation, waste and everything related to that waste of resources, so trying to set the example, especially for my kids, recycling, trying to be reasonable about purchasing things, about where things end up after you’re done using them, just in general being careful about what you do, what impacts there are down the line. Even for them already, they’re 18 and 20 now–What are you going to do to try to protect the planet for your kids? Already trying to put that mindset for them because it’s very difficult for our generation to change the way it has done things for so long, but trying to at least bring that change. Be responsible, be reasonable, think about the impacts.


JEAN WEINER - Goldman Environmental Prize-winning Founder of Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine in Haiti

JEAN WEINER - Goldman Environmental Prize-winning Founder of Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine in Haiti

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Goldman Environmental Prize Winner
Founder of Fondation pour la Protection de la Biodiversité Marine in Haiti

We’re coming out of one of the worst times for resource exploitation, waste and everything related to that waste of resources, so trying to set the example, especially for my kids, recycling, trying to be reasonable about purchasing things, about where things end up after you’re done using them, just in general being careful about what you do, what impacts there are down the line. Even for them already, they’re 18 and 20 now–What are you going to do to try to protect the planet for your kids? Already trying to put that mindset for them because it’s very difficult for our generation to change the way it has done things for so long, but trying to at least bring that change. Be responsible, be reasonable, think about the impacts.


DR. JOERI ROGELJ - Director of Research at Grantham Institute, Imperial College, Author on UN Environment Programme & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

DR. JOERI ROGELJ - Director of Research at Grantham Institute, Imperial College, Author on UN Environment Programme & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

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Director of Research at Grantham Institute, Imperial College
Author on UN Environment Programme & Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

A key part of how I go about doing my research is being involved in policy discussions, policy conversations, and also by following the international climate negotiations very closely. Actually, I started my research career as a part of the Presidency of the International Climate Negotiations in 2009. After that I remained an advisor to country delegations in the international negotiations, particularly small island development states or least developed countries. That really helped me to get a sense of what the real questions are that they are struggling with.

ROB PRINGLE - Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Professor Princeton University - Pringle Lab

ROB PRINGLE - Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Professor Princeton University - Pringle Lab

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Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Professor Princeton University · Pringle Lab

For nature and natural beauty to survive, people have to want it. If they don’t ever experience it, why should they want it? What could see of value in it, something that you not only have never experienced but don’t ever expect to. We intellectually know that the Amazon is an important thing because it stores carbon and it’s home to many species, but I’ve been there. That’s a different thing entirely to be able to appreciate it on that level and care about it for the sheer beauty and magic and joy of being in a place that’s still so big and so wild. So that I think is the most important thing for the next generation.

ROB PRINGLE: Exploring the Complex Web of Ecology and Conservation - Highlights

ROB PRINGLE: Exploring the Complex Web of Ecology and Conservation - Highlights

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Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Professor Princeton University · Pringle Lab

For nature and natural beauty to survive, people have to want it. If they don’t ever experience it, why should they want it? What could you see of value in it, something that you not only have never experienced but don’t ever expect to. We intellectually know that the Amazon is an important thing because it stores carbon and it’s home to many species, but I’ve been there. That’s a different thing entirely to be able to appreciate it on that level and care about it for the sheer beauty and magic and joy of being in a place that’s still so big and so wild. So that I think is the most important thing for the next generation.