Implementing Integrated Solutions to Planetary Challenges: Reflections and Perspectives on Integration in the Post-Stockholm+50 Era

The 1972 Stockholm Declaration made several references to “integration” between environmental and development planning. In the 50 years since the release of that milestone document, there have been growing efforts to make good on the promise of integration. However, policymakers have often struggled to capitalise on integration’s potential. This Stockholm+50 associated event looked both backward and forward to consider how policymakers can implement integrated solutions to climate, biodiversity and other planetary challenges and achieve a truly sustainable society. Particular attention was placed on the promise and limitations of emerging integrated approaches such as “One Health” and “Circulating and Ecological Spheres” (CES). This event tried to unpack those approaches to see how they are relevant to the subjects of Stockholm+50, and IGES researchers discussed with a guest panelist what implementation challenges would be foreseen in the next 50 years.

Relevance to Stockholm+50

Stockholm+50’s main theme, “a healthy planet for the prosperity of all”, highlights the need for action to transform our relationship with nature, to produce and consume sustainably and fight pollution, and to realise social justice and intergenerational equity. IGES’ Associated Event was designed to complement the main theme by focusing on these emerging thematic areas.

After a framing presentation by Eric Zusman, IGES Research Leader of Integrated Sustainability Centre, this Associated Event shed light on the synergy between biodiversity and health which tried to address issues around the human-animal-ecosystem health interface. Andre Mader, IGES Programme Director of Biodiversity and Forests Area outlined the “One Health” approach and how it fits into broader discussions about the relationship between humankind and nature.

Then, in light of the topics covered by Leadership Dialogue 1 “Reflecting on the urgent need for actions to achieve a healthy planet and prosperity of all”, Bijon Kumar Mitra, IGES Deputy Director of the Integrated Sustainability Centre highlighted the synergy among various issues in Leadership Dialoge 1 and how they can catalyse the way to live within planetary boundaries by introducing an integrated approach called CES to address the threat to a healthy planet.

The following Panel Discussion invited Professor Kirsten Halsnaes (Technical University of Denmark) to deepen understanding of the concepts.

About Professor Kirsten Halsnaes

Kirsten Halsnæs is Professor in Climate Change and Economics at the Technical University of Denmark, DTU. She is a coordinating lead author of the IPCC AR6 on Mitigation policies, Chapter 17 on Accelerating mitigation in the context of sustainable development, and has played a leading role in IPCC since 1993. Kirsten has published extensively internationally on climate change and sustainable development and on the development and application of economic models for climate hazard risk assessments. Currently she plays a leading role in several EU projects on climate economics and risks.