We are coming off the back of yet another record climate year: 2023 was the warmest on record, globally, fuelling devastating heatwaves, skyrocketing ocean-heat content, catastrophic Mediterranean storms and ravaging wildfires in Greece, Canada and Hawaii. The scientific community has also confirmed that the Earth system has now crossed 6 of 9 Planetary Boundaries, and the Amazon rainforest and Atlantic circulation tipping points may be even closer than we think.

The climate realities and scientific advances of this and recent years pose fundamental questions: are we witnessing the breakdown in the resilience of our planet? Is our Earth system approaching tipping points, beyond which large-scale, catastrophic change will become irreversible? How can we steer our planet back within safe Planetary Boundaries that respect the fundamental needs and rights of all people? And how can the international community safeguard not just shared resources, but critical functions of the Earth system?

This presentation will take a look at how state-of-the-art science is measuring the health of our planet and honing its understanding of the critical processes that determine its future.