What planetary health means for the private sector

The inaugural Climate Week Zurich in May opened with a stark assessment of the health of the planet: Internationally recognized scientist Johan Rockström told the audience that the Earth has transgressed seven of nine Planetary Boundaries, pushing the planet toward the possibility of large scale and irreversible changes.  

Johan is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and helped develop the Planetary Boundaries, a framework that assesses nine critical global processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth. In today’s episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, Johan talks about the planet’s health, the impacts of a warming world, and what this means for the business community.  

“Beyond 1.5 [degrees C], science shows we may cause irreversible damage to the Earth's system,” Johan says. “It's not a sustainability issue — it's about security, it's about health, it's about stability.”  

Johan also highlights the opportunity to take action and reverse course. “The window is still open to turn this around,” he says. He points to encouraging conversations happening between business, finance and science communities at events like Climate Week Zurich and London Climate Action Week, which wraps up June 28.  

“This is a signal to the world that in the midst of what many portray as assaults on science and backtracking on action, cities around the world are showing that we've turned a corner already,” Johan says.  

Read research from S&P Global Sustainable1 about the projected costs of climate change for businesses: For the world’s largest companies, climate physical risks have a $1.2 trillion annual price tag by the 2050s | S&P Global 

Read research from S&P Global about the role of climate adaptation in 2026: Why climate adaptation is key to US energy expansion | S&P Global  

Learn about the S&P Global Climate Center of Excellence: Climate Center of Excellence | S&P Global] 

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