Planetary Boundaries: 2022 update with Professor Will Steffen | Original Recording

Our webinar on Wednesday April 5, 2023 at 7 PM honoured the Australian climate scholar and ecologist Will Steffen who died January 29, 2023. Although better known in Australia, that hotbed of climate deniers, where he along with Tim Flannery and others were dismissed as climate commissioners by the Abbott government, his work was wide-ranging and global.

Portrait photo of Professor Will Steffen

His legacy includes the concept of the Anthropocene and his work with Johan Rockström at the Stockholm Research Centre, led to the debate on planetary boundaries as “safe operating spaces” for humanity.

On Wednesday evening we presented one of Steffen’s last videos in which he updates those original nine boundaries. His research gives us cause for thought as we in Aotearoa struggle to reduce emissions in agriculture, transport and energy and are faced with the massive rebuild and relocation of communities.

Following the webinar, we had a discussion with attendees on the implications and the implementation of Steffen’s research.

There is no recording available of our webinar and discussion, but the original video that we presented is included below. It was presented starting at 12 minutes into the video, and including the first two questions and responses after Steffen's presentation.