Humanity has reached a decisive cross-road. The Super-year 2020 - when the curve of global emissions needs to bend, and when a break is needed on the loss of biodiversity, is put on hold by the worst global crisis since the 2nd world war. This is a grand challenge, as cutting global emission by half over the coming decade (2020-2030) and starting the transformation to global sustainability, are two prerequisites to stand a chance of holding the Paris climate line of global warming well below 2°C and delivering on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conclusion is that the world, across all sectors of society, from food production to mobility, construction, technology and infrastructure, face structural transformations. Zero-carbon, circular and nature aligned system solutions are needed for all economic and human development. At the same time, the world is rapidly deepening its journey into the digital era, which suggests that digitalisation, transformation to sustainability, in a world of rising social-ecological turbulence, are three interacting features of our time. In this presentation Prof. Dr. Johan Rockström presented us the grand challenges for a world transformation within the safe operating space of a manageable Earth system, in which digitalisation is not allowed to generate unsustainable rebound effects, but instead constitutes a vehicle to accelerate and amplify the transition to a safe and just world for humanity on Earth.

Watch the recording and discover more about this key topic.

Agenda

10:00-10:15 Introduction by Gerard de Graaf, Director DG CONNECT F. Digital Single Market

10:15-11:00 Presentation by Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam

11:00-11:30 Q/A Moderation and Conclusion by Ilias Iakovidis, Adviser for Societal Challenges