Johan Rockstrom

Johan Rockström (born 31 December 1965) is a Swedish scientist internationally recognized for his work on global sustainability issues. He is the joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, together with economist Ottmar Edenhofer. He is also a Professor of Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam and a Professor in Water Systems and Global Sustainability at Stockholm University.

Rockström has pioneered work on the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009. The nine planetary boundaries presented in the framework, from climate to biodiversity, are argued to be fundamental in maintaining a "safe operating space for humanity.

Rockström is also a public intellectual, providing advice, e.g., to UN institutions, speaking, e.g., at TED events, and featuring in media such as the Netflix "Breaking Boundaries" film. He has published over 150 papers in fields ranging from practical land and water use to global sustainability. He is ranked among the most cited researchers in the world by Clarivate Analytics. Johan Rockström was executive director of the Stockholm Environment Institute from 2004–2012, and director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre from 2007–2018.

Johan Rockström studied at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala (soil science and hydrology) and at the Institut national agronomique in Paris (agriculture) from 1987 to 1991. He received his Ph.D. in 1997 from Stockholm University, where he researched "Systems Ecology and Natural Resource Management." Rockström's previous scientific work has included inter- and transdisciplinary topics on global water resources, land use management, socio-ecological resilience, and global material cycles.

In 2009, Rockström led the team that developed the Planetary Boundaries framework, a proposed precondition for facilitating human development at a time when the planet is undergoing rapid change. In recognition of this work, Fokus magazine named him "Swede of the Year" for "engaging and exciting work in sustainable development. In 2010, the magazine Miljöaktuellt ranked him the second most influential person in Sweden on environmental issues, and Veckans Affärer gave him its "Social Capitalist Award." In 2011 he chaired the third Nobel Laureate Symposium on Global Sustainability in Stockholm.

After 12 years as director of Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), he became the 2018 joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), based in Germany, with PIK's current deputy director Professor Ottmar Edenhofer, a climate economist. Rockström and Edenhofer follow PIK director Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. He is currently a member of the Board of the EAT Foundation, the KR Foundation, the Global Challenges Foundation, a fellow for Earth League, and co-chair of the Future Earth and Earth Commission.

In 2020 he became a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. In 2021, together with David Attenborough, Rockström appeared in the Netflix documentary "Breaking Boundaries" and also released a book called Breaking Boundaries: The Science Behind our Planet.

He has acted as a speaker at various high-level international meetings and organizations, such as the World Economic Forum, the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA), the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC). Moreover, he is the Chief Scientist of Conservation International and a member of the European Investment Bank Advisory Group.