The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Planetary Health Check: The State of Earth’s Critical Systems with Kari Stoever

Oct 13, 2024

25:10

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Kari Stoever, Chief of Strategic Partnerships & Policy at the Planetary Boundary Initiative, dives deep into Earth’s vital signs and the launch of the Planetary Health Check. She discusses how advanced technology can track our planet's health and the urgent need for transformative changes in food, economy, and energy. Kari emphasizes community action and collaboration in addressing global environmental challenges. They explore our emotional connection to nature and innovative strategies to inspire action before it's too late.

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Quick takeaways

The Planetary Health Check initiative aims to assess Earth's vital signs annually, enabling better understanding and management of planetary boundaries for sustainable futures.

Recognizing the interconnectedness of Earth's systems reveals that violating one planetary boundary can disrupt others, highlighting the need for holistic decision-making in environmental policies.

Deep dives

The Planetary Health Check Initiative

The Planetary Health Check is a newly launched initiative aimed at providing a comprehensive assessment of Earth's health, focusing on key indicators such as climate, oceans, and biosphere conditions. This annual health check aspires to track the nine planetary boundaries, which help define a safe operating space for humanity. Previously, assessments occurred roughly once every seven years, but increasing the frequency is essential given the rapid changes in the planet's state. Utilizing satellite technology and artificial intelligence, the initiative plans to monitor vital signs of the planet and follow up with in-depth analyses to transform complex data into valuable insights.

Intro

2min

Assessing Earth's Vital Signs

16min

A Call to Action for Planetary Health Collaboration

2min

Awakening to Our Interconnectedness for a Sustainable Future

2min

Navigating Complex Systems for a Sustainable Future

2min

(Conversation recorded on September 25th, 2024)

There has been much discussion lately of Planetary Boundaries – the 9 biophysical systems and processes that regulate the functioning of life support systems on Earth, and ultimately the stability and resilience of the Earth system as a whole. But how close are we, today, to pushing these systems past their ability to function and recover?

In this special release episode, Nate is joined by Kari Stoever, Chief of Strategic Partnerships & Policy at the Planetary Boundary Initiative, to explore the answer to this difficult but vital question. They delve into the Planetary Health Check, an annual analysis of Earth's nine Planetary Boundaries, exploring the science behind the metrics as well as aspirations for the project's future in guiding us back toward a safe operating space for Earth.

How could a real-time assessment of the health of our planetary home help us prioritize taking care of it? What are we able to measure, and what do we still need to learn to best inform our policies and actions for the future? What would it take for each of us to act as Planetary Guardians to safeguard our planetary home before it’s too late?

About Kari Stoever:

Kari Stoever is a seasoned social entrepreneur and strategist with extensive experience in global health, development, international relations, and planetary health. She has led pivotal global initiatives, including contributions to four U.S. Presidential programs. Her work focuses on strategy, policy advocacy, resource mobilization, and systems change, with a passion for building partnerships that drive global improvements for the common good.

Currently, Kari collaborates with Johan Rockström and the Planetary Guardians on the Planetary Health Check (PHC), an innovative system that uses satellite data and AI to monitor Earth's health. As a doctorate student at Georgetown University, she is focused on studying interconnectedness and systems change in the context of the polycrisis—the systemic interrelationships among global challenges—drawing from Ubuntu philosophy, deep ecology, and evolutionary consciousness.

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