“Communication is more important than ever to stay within Planetary Boundaries”

“We have sent the planet to the doctor since 2009 and the diagnosis is clear,” said Centre co-founder Johan Rockström when presenting both the latest Planetary Health Check and the Centre’s new handbook for Planetary Communications during New York Climate Week.

“What we know is unfortunately not enough. We also need better communication to convince the patient – us – to take the medicine,” he added as he introduced the handbook.

Developed with contributions from Johan Rockström and more than 100 researchers, communicators and other experts from around the world, the handbook draws inspiration from the Planetary Boundaries framework. It presents nine ingredients that can be combined in different ways to make complex scientific messages about climate and the environment more relatable, relevant and accessible to different audiences. Read it here.

“Planetary Communications offers a science-based guide for anyone looking to communicate sustainability more effectively – but it is also a call to communicators, researchers, journalists, and creatives to put it into action and share their best practices. This is just a start!” said Marcus Lundstedt, head of communications at Stockholm Resilience Centre.

Two launches during Climate Week NYC

The Planetary Communications handbook was launched at two events in New York. First, Johan Rockström presented the framework in a keynote on the main stage of The Nest Climate Campus, a major convening space during Climate Week NYC, bringing together leaders and organisations from business, policy, science and civil society.

The handbook was also presented and discussed at The Climate Hub, hosted by We Don’t Have Time at the Nest Climate Campus. During Climate Week NYC, the Climate Hub runs several days of live programming from New York, connecting discussions at the venue with viewers around the world. Here, contributors to the handbook met with key stakeholders to discuss how sustainability science can be communicated more impactfully in a polarized information environment increasingly shaped by mis- and disinformation.

“Planetary communication is critical if we’re going to solve the climate, biodiversity and sustainability crises,” said Katherine Richardson, co-chair of SDSN Northern Europe and lead author of the 2023 planetary boundaries study, in a digital address.

Johan Rockström set the scene, followed by a presentation from handbook authors Marcus Lundstedt and Marika Haeggman from the Centre’s communications team.

The subsequent panel brought together Tim Kelly of the Global Commons Alliance and Earth HQ, Wendy Broadgate, Director of the Future Earth Global Hub, Sweden, as well as Centre associate Axel Eriksson of the UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.

The event was co-organised by Stockholm Resilience Centre, Future Earth, We Don’t Have Time, Planetary Guardians, Global Commons Alliance, the UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change (YAG) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Northern Europe.

Watch the video from the Climate Hub panel below