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Viktoria Spaiser

Job title:

Associate Professor in Sustainability Research and Computational Social Science

Area of work:

I am interested in sustainability research and specifically in how societies can make a rapid, fair and empowering transition to zero-emissions/zero-pollution. Currently I am doing full-time research on my UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship on “Understanding normative change to address the climate change emergency”. I apply mathematical and computational approaches to these and other social and political science research questions.

What will you be doing at COP28?

Global Tipping Points Report launch. The report is the first that gathers all the evidence that we have on (1) Earth System Tipping Points, (2) their impacts, (3) what governance mechanisms are required to prevent them and to manage their impact and on (4) the opportunities from positive social tipping points, bringing together expertise from various disciplines and from around the world. This report will highlight the importance of climate change mitigation as the main pathway to prevent Earth System Tipping Points and how positive social tipping dynamics can be harnessed for this purpose. It will also highlight the importance of creating new governance mechanisms around Earth System Tipping Points.

What are the big issues that COP28 needs to address? What are your hopes for the negotiations?

  • Fossil fuel phase-out, because there is no way around it if we are serious about climate change mitigation;
  • Putting Earth System Tipping Points on the agenda;
  • Progess on the loss and damage mechanism

I hope that the Global Tipping Points Report will receive the attention it deserves and foster climate action, including the decision to phase out fossil fuels.

What’s your message for world leaders at COP28?

Read the Global Tipping Points Report and work with researchers and people to bring about the necessary transformations to leave a legacy that you can be proud of.

Do you have any tips about climate action that you can share?

Read the Global Tipping Points Report. Talk about it with your peers and organise to lobby as citizens for the necessary transformations.