07.11.2025 - At this year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is co‑hosting the Planetary Science Pavilion chaired by PIK Director Johan Rockström alongside Earth system scientist Carlos Nobre. The Pavilion aims to translate science into action by combining research, ancestral knowledge and policy.
COP30 will bring together delegates from nearly 200 countries, including leading scientists from PIK.
Here’s a brief overview of events PIK scientists are involved in, further listings will be updated and added.
09:00 – 10:00 Brazilian Time (BRT) | 10 New Insights in Climate Science: Evidence, Risks, and Solutions (Panel + Q&A)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Launch of the 2025/2026 10 New Insights in Climate Science report — the year’s most urgent findings on global heat, carbon sinks, and ocean stress.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Wendy Broadgate; Marina Hirota; Regina R. Rodrigues; Deliang Chen
15:00 – 16:00 BRT | Too Hot to Handle: Coffee and the Climate Crisis
Location: German Climate Pavilion
Discussion on how climate change is disrupting global coffee production and supply chains. Organized by BMZ with partners from the private sector and civil society.
Speakers: Reem Alabali Radovan (BMZ); Johan Rockström (PIK); Katie Gallus (International Moderator & Geographer)
17:00 – 18:00 BRT | Healthy Diets within Planetary Boundaries
Location: Nordic Pavilion
Exploring Nordic approaches to linking health, environment, and productivity through science-based policy and innovation.
Moderator: Lise Walbom (Food Nation)
Speakers: Jacob Jensen (Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark); Karen Ellemann (Secretary General, Nordic Council of Ministers); Johan Rockström (PIK)
10:30 – 12:00 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Overshooting 1.5: Tipping Point Risks and Governance (Presentations + Panel + Q&A)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Examining tipping point risks and governance frameworks to prevent and manage overshoot in Earth systems.
Speakers: Tim Lenton; Nico Wunderling (PIK); Marina Hirota; Manjana Milkoreit; Clement Albergel; Zerin Osho; Melanie McField (remote)
12:30 – 13:30 BRT | Managing Overshoot and Restoring Earth’s Life-Supporting Systems (Remarks + Fireside Chat)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Strategies to minimize overshoot duration and risks through rapid decarbonization and CDR scaling.
Speakers: Peter Schlosser (remote); Johan Rockström (PIK); Ilona Otto; Kris Ebi (remote); Nebojsa Nakicenovic (remote); Janet Ranganathan (remote)
11:30 – 12:30 BRT | A Global Call for Hydrological Resilience: Putting Water at the Heart of Climate Action
Location: Side Event Room 6
Exploring how building hydrological resilience requires a multisector approach that integrates climate adaptation and mitigation.
Keynotes: Johan Rockström (PIK); Maria Apostolova (ACTO)
17:00 – 18:00 BRT | Climate and Nature at the Crossroads: Lessons from the Nordic Countries and Brazil
Location: Nordic Pavilion
A dialogue on the links between climate and biodiversity, connecting research from Nordic countries and Brazil.
Speakers: Alexandre Antonelli (HUB Foundation); Johan Rockström (PIK)
09:00 – 10:00 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Safe, Just, and Systemic: Science-Based Pathways for Climate Policy (Presentation + Panel)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Drawing on Earth4All and Earth Commission frameworks to advance just and resilient outcomes.
Speakers: Wendy Broadgate; Laura Pereira; Fátima Denton; Tim Lenton; Ilona Szabó de Carvalho; Carlos Nobre
Moderators: Sandrine Dixson-Declève; Johan Rockström (PIK)
13:15 – 14:15 BRT | Emerging Technology Solutions for Planetary Health (WEF Report Launch) (Panel)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Exploring ethical and systemic deployment of innovation for planetary health.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Kirsten Dunlop; Tonika Sealy Thompson
Moderator: Gilbert de Gregorio
13:30 - 14.30 BRT | Climate investments in unstable times: How to align interests and foster cooperation (Presentation + Panel)
Location: German Pavilion
Discussing economic rationales for climate action and presents innovative approaches to motivate cooperation and stimulate climate investments in unstable times.
Speakers: Stefan Wintels, Ottmar Edenhofer (PIK), Hans-Jürgen Walter, Nicole Röttmer
16:00 – 17:00 BRT | From Breakthrough to Impact: Award-Winning Science-Driven Solutions Restoring Amazonian Ecosystems
Location: Special Events Room (SPE 4)
Exploring how science-based innovations can drive ecosystem restoration and community resilience in the Amazon.
Speaker: Johan Rockström (PIK)
17:00 – 18:00 BRT | Launch of the Resilience Science Must-Knows at COP30
Location: Resilience Hub Pavilion
Launch of a major science-policy report connecting climate, biodiversity, and development goals.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK)
09:00 – 10:00 BRT | Food and Justice at the Center of the Climate Nexus (Presentation + Panel)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Presentation and discussion of the EAT–Lancet Report and the role of food justice in climate solutions.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Aman Sidhu; Indigenous and local leaders (TBC)
14:30 – 15:45 BRT | The Water Imperative: Aligning Growth, Climate, and Nature (Panel + Q&A)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Reframing water as a global asset central to stability and equity.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Vidhisha Samarasekara; Mariana Mazzucato (TBC); Arunabha Ghosh; Henk Ovink; others (TBC)
18:30 – 20:00 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Justice and Wellbeing within Planetary Boundaries: Pathways for COP30
Location: Side Event Room 2, Zone C
Exploring how systems-based approaches can connect peace, climate, nature, and economic transformation toward global wellbeing and justice.
Speakers: Sandrine Dixson-Declève (Earth4All); Johan Rockström (PIK); Albert Norström (Earth Commission, Future Earth); Nathalie Spittler (BOKU University); Carlos Nobre (University of São Paulo); Izabella Mônica Vieira Teixeira (Former Minister of Environment, Brazil); Fatima Denton (UNU Institute for Natural Resources in Africa); Jennifer Morgan (Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts)
09:00 – 10:00 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Governance Through a Planetary Science Lens (Panel + Q&A)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Examining how global governance can be informed by planetary science and boundary-based frameworks.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Mary Robinson (Invited); Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim; Juan Manuel Santos
Moderator: Naoko Ishii
11:00 – 12:00 BRT | Climate Change, Health and Productivity Loss in Central Asia (Panel + Q&A)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Organized by Iulii Didovets (PIK / HIGH) — exploring the intersection of climate change, health, and productivity in Central Asia.
Speakers: To be confirmed
14:00 – 15:15 BRT | Measuring Wellbeing in an Era of Tipping Points
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
A discussion on global tipping points, planetary boundaries, and wellbeing-centered urban resilience.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK)
16:30 – 17:30 BRT | Racing for the Ocean
Location: Ocean Pavilion
No description available.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Peter Thomson (UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean); Torben Grael (The Ocean Race, Brazil)
18:30 – 20:00 BRT | The Net-Zero Emission Transition Led by Global Green Actions
Location: Side Event Room 5
A UNFCCC side event on barriers and pathways to net-zero emissions through accelerated global green action.
Moderator: Prof. Yongsheng Zhang (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Opening Remarks: Johan Rockström (PIK)
Speakers: Deliang Chen (Tsinghua University); Albert Park (Asian Development Bank); José Domingos Miguez (Ministry of Science and Technology, Brazil); Harald Winkler (University of Cape Town); Thiagarajan Jayaraman (M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, India)
09:00 – 10:00 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Opening Session (Opening Ceremony)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Introduction of the Pavilion by Johan Rockström (PIK) and Carlos Nobre, followed by a high-level panel: Strengthening the Science–Policy Interface – How Science Can Guide Action in a Rapidly Changing World.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Carlos Nobre; Ana Toni (TBC)
11:00 – 12:00 BRT | Climate Change, Health and Productivity Loss in Central Asia
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Examining regional climate-health interactions and adaptation strategies.
Speakers: Mansur Oshurbaev (Vice-Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Kazakhstan); Stefanie Wesch (PIK); Klaus Beck (UNFPA); Iulii Didovets (PIK); Rainer Sauerborn (Heidelberg Institute for Global Health); Oxana Kravtsova (CAREC); Representative of World Bank (TBC)
11:40 – 11:55 | Q&A and open discussion with political representatives of Central Asian countries
17:00 – 18:00 BRT | When Climate Meets Humanity: The Impact of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity
Location: Portugal Pavilion
Exploring the human and environmental impacts of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Lélia Wanick Salgado; Juliano Ribeiro Salgado (Instituto Terra)
18:30 – 20:00 BRT | The Climate–Development Nexus: Equity, Development, and Finance in Net-Zero Pathways
Location: Side Event Room 5
Exploring embedded development objectives, equity implications, and finance strategies in net-zero transitions ahead of the 2028 Global Stocktake.
Speakers: Johan Rockström (PIK); Vibha Dhawan (TERI, India); Niklas Höhne (NewClimate Institute); Ritu Mathur (TERI, India); Manish Kumar Shrivastava (TERI, India); Elmar Kriegler (PIK); Saritha Vishwanathan (Kyoto University / IIMA, India); Isabela Schmidt Tagomori (PBL, Netherlands); Bjarne Steffen (ETH Zürich)
10:30 – 11:30 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Linking Climate Research to the Field: Adaptive Pathways for Agriculture and Food Security in Madagascar (Panel + Q&A)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Exploring how research can support local adaptation and agricultural resilience in Madagascar.
Organizer: Nadine Grimm-Pampe (PIK)
Speakers: (TBA)
14:45 – 15:45 Brazilian Time (BRT) | Transformation Pathways (Details TBC)
Location: Planetary Science Pavilion
Exploring transformation pathways for sustainability and climate action.
Lead: Elmar Kriegler (PIK)
