A co-developer of the planetary boundaries framework, Johan Rockström works to understand Earth’s resilience to human pressure.

Why you should listen

Johan Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist for his work on global sustainability. He helped lead a team of scientists that developed the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009 and updated in 2015 and 2023. The framework advocates for keeping our planet within the nine planetary boundaries in order to maintain a "safe operating space for humanity." The planetary boundaries have been embraced as a cornerstone of sustainable development and has been used to help guide governments, international organizations, NGOs and companies considering sustainable development.

Before focusing on the planetary scale, Rockström's research focused on water resources and building resilience in water-scarce regions. After completing a PhD at Stockholm University's Systems Ecology Department in 1997, he spent over a decade working on applied water research in tropical regions.

Rockström cofounded the Stockholm Resilience Centre and is currently director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. He co-chaired the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems, published in 2019 and he is co-chair of Future Earth and the Earth Commission. In May 2024 he was awarded with the 2024 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for his pioneering work on the Planetary Boundaries framework.

Rockström has published more than 150 research articles, including articles in Science and Nature, and 20 book chapters. He is a regular speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos and has also published five books: Breaking Boundaries (2021), The Human Quest (2012) and Big World Small Planet (2015), with National Geographic photographer Mattias Klum; coauthored Water Resilience for Human Prosperity (2014); and coauthored Bankrupting Nature (2012) with Swedish writer and politician Anders Wijkman.

More news and ideas from Johan Rockström

Countdown

Accelerating solutions to the climate crisis: The talks of TEDCountdown @BloombergGreenFestival

July 12, 2024

We’re midway into the decisive decade for climate change — the decisions and actions taken today will determine the way we live tomorrow. In a special evening of TED Talks, performances and conversations, TED’s global climate initiative, TED Countdown, partnered with Bloomberg Green at the Bloomberg Green Festival in Seattle to dive into the current […]

Continue reading
Countdown

A pathway opens: Notes from Session 1 of Countdown Summit

October 13, 2021

Follow Countdown on Twitter and Instagram • Subscribe to the Countdown newsletter Countdown is the most ambitious initiative TED has endeavored upon. A meeting point and invitation to all, from any walk of life, to participate in the story of solving the climate crisis in urgent and crucial ways. A call-in to businesses, governments, society, […]

Continue reading
Countdown

Urgency: Notes from Session 1 of the Countdown Global Launch

October 10, 2020

Countdown is a global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. Watch the talks, interviews and performances from the Countdown Global Launch at ted.com/countdown. Today, 10.10.2020, is the climate’s day of destiny: the Countdown Global Launch, a call to action on climate change and the first-ever free TED conference. Launching Countdown means asking ourselves […]

Continue reading