23/03/2021
Just in case any of us still need a wake-up call âŠ. Hereâs a summary of the report to the first Nobel Prize Summit.
Our actions are threatening the resilience and stability of Earth's biosphere, the wafer-thin veil around Earth where life thrives, the report says.
This has profound implications for the development of civilisations.
We humans, plus our livestock, now make up 96% by weight of all mammal life on the planet. The remaining 4% is all thatâs left of the wild creatures we once shared the Earth with.
Within the next 50 years one to three billion people (depending on how well we restrict greenhouse gas emissions) will âexperience living conditions that are outside of the climate conditions which have served civilizations well over the past 6,000 years".
In other words: At least a billion people will find themselves in zones where itâs too damn hot to live and thrive.
Even if youâre the Iâm-all-right-Jack type, this will affect you because of the influx of climate refugees. It will be like a war â only worse.
The report is the work of an international group of researchers for the digital summit in April 2021.
"Humanity is now the dominant force of change on planet Earth," says Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. "The risks we are taking are astounding,
"We are at the dawn of what must be a transformative decade. The Nobel Prize Summit is really the scientific community shouting Wake Up!
"In a single human lifetime, largely since the 1950s, we have grossly simplified the biosphere, a system that has evolved over 3.8 billion years,â says lead author Carl Folke, director of the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics and chair of the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.
âNow just a few plants and animals dominate the land and oceans.
"Our actions are making the biosphere more fragile, less resilient and more prone to shocks than before."
"Humanity must become effective planetary stewards. About 96% of all mammals by weight are us, Homo sapiens, and our livestock, or cattle, sheep and pigs. Just 4% are wild mammals like elephants, buffalo or dolphins," says Folke.
Recent research shows that 75% of Earth's ice-free land is directly altered as a result of human activity, with nearly 90% of terrestrial net primary production and 80% of global tree cover under direct human influence.
Co-author Line Gordon, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, says this is the decade in which we must turn a corner â drive down greenhouse gas emissions and end shocking biodiversity loss.
âThis means transforming what we eat and how we farm it, among many other transformations."
The researchers say two of the biggest barriers are unsustainable levels of inequality and technology that undermines societal goals.
We have pinned our faith on the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, but co-author Victor Galaz, deputy director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, says this will only work if we act forcefully to use new technology for planetary stewardship and responsible innovation.
The report says the global pandemic opens up the possibility to change the course of history. âIt is a moment to accelerate action to stabilise Earth for future generations," says Folke.
The pandemic is a phenomenon of what has been called the âAnthropoceneâ era. It has been caused by our intertwined relationship with nature and our hyper-connectivity.
The summit will be a digital gathering in April 2021.
The report is published in Ambio, a journal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The first Nobel Prize Summit, Our Planet, Our Future, a three-day digital event open to all, has been convened to provide a platform for scientists to discuss the state of the planet at a critical juncture for humanity.
The summit is based around three themes: the biosphere (climate and biodiversity loss), rising inequality and the technological revolution.
Nobel laureates will be joined by guests including Al Gore, the Dalai Lama, Anthony Fauci, Johan Rockström and youth activist Xiye Bastida.
I expect Derek Gow would be interested in this. although he's part of the solution, not the problem.
Our future depends on our collective ability to become effective stewards of the global commons â the climate, ice, land, ocean, freshwater, forests, soils and rich diversity of life.