KATHERINE RICHARDSON

This month we had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Katherine Richardson, Professor in Biological Oceanography, leader of the University of Copenhagen’s Sustainability Science Center, leader of Queen Margrethe’s and Figdís Finnbogadóttir’s Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ocean, Climate, and Society, and a core researcher in an international research team focusing on identifying Planetary Boundaries – frameworks to describe limits to the impacts of human activities on the Earth system.

Katherine was also a member of the 15 person team appointed by Ban Ki Moon to write the 2019 UN Global sustainably Development Report as well as the Chairman of the international conference Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions, which sought to inform the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

We thought long and hard about what questions to ask Katherine, as it was important to us that the interview should make-the-most of Katherine’s incredible knowledge, but also be relatable to everyone that reads it. We think that in the end we came up with a good mix, and we hope you enjoy it!

In the media, we hear a lot about the decline of natural carbon sinks such as peatlands and rainforests, however we don’t hear much about the ocean in this regard. How important is the ocean, in its ability to regulate the climate?

‘Through geological time, it has been the ocean that is the great climate regulator. Moving in and out of Ice Ages, for example, was associated with moving about 80 ppm (parts per million) CO2 to and from the atmosphere to the ocean. There are both physical and biological processes that cause CO2 to move between ocean and atmosphere.’

In the past few decades, how have changes in ocean conditions effected marine biodiversity, and it’s ability to support the climate?

‘The climate change we are observing is caused by an increase in the amount of heat energy stored near the surface of the Earth. Over 90% of that “extra” energy is in the ocean, so the ocean is warming much faster than the air over land. That means climate change is affecting biodiversity much more in the ocean than on land. Many organisms are on the move trying to get away from conditions that are too warm or where food availability has changed. New ecosystems are forming – in some cases, these will work fine but, in others, they will be unbalanced (in cases where the new organisms do not have predators, for example). Some species cannot move (corals for example) and these have no choice but to stick it out and die if it becomes too warm. Many scientists believe that even if the goals of the Paris Agreement are met, coral reefs will disappear on Earth. Another problem is that the increased CO2 dissolved in the surface ocean is acidifying the ocean (CO2 in water makes carbonic acid). Some species make calcium carbonate (for shells or other structures) which dissolves in acid, so this is also a stress for ocean biodiversity. We do not know how the changes occurring in biodiversity are or will impact the ocean’s climate regulation functions (although we hypothesize that phytoplankton cells will be smaller in a warmer ocean and, therefore, fewer will sink deep into the ocean. This would decrease the ocean’s ability to store CO2). Physical and chemical factors will decrease the ocean’s ability to take up CO2 (for example, less CO2 can dissolve in warm water compared to cold).’

Could you explain what role phytoplankton plays in maintaining a healthy atmosphere, and what role it plays in the marine food chain?

‘Phytoplankton produce oxygen and they take up CO2 – just like plants on land and they do just about the same amount of photosynthesis as plants on land. Plants on land form the basis of terrestrial food webs. Phytoplankton form the base of the food web. There are however, some important differences between land plants and phytoplankton: Phytoplankton are very small compared to land plants but they are genetically speaking MUCH more different from one another than land plants are from each other. All land plants had a single evolutionary starting point. Phytoplankton had many. We all know that it makes a huge difference for food webs on land if the dominant plants are cactus, nettles, or redwood trees. The same is undoubtedly true for the ocean plants but we do not understand well what the differences mean. We do know, however, that the relative size (volume) difference between the smallest and the largest phytoplankton is greater than the relative volume difference between a mouse and an elephant. No one would expect mice and elephants to fit into the same food webs! Land plants exchange CO2 directly with the atmosphere. Phytoplankton exchange CO2 with water. When they take CO2 out of water, the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in water decreases. If the phytoplankton decays in the surface water, CO2 is released and pCO2 returns to its original value. If, however, the phytoplankton after taking up CO2 and reducing the pCO2 sinks to the bottom of the ocean, the pCO2 remains low at the surface. Because the CO2 in the atmosphere and ocean are always trying to get into equilibrium, CO2 moves from the atmosphere to the ocean. Thus, the CO2 in the atmosphere is reduced and there is an effect on climate. “Large” and heavily ballasted (i.e., with silicon frustules or calcium carbonate plates) phytoplankton sink more readily out of the surface water to the bottom so biodiversity of phytoplankton is important for climate processes. Understanding this relationship is what my research focuses on.’

From your extensive background in advisory boards and committee’s, have you seen an increase in companies taking accountability for their impact on the climate, and do you feel that meaningful action is taken following sustainability advisement?

‘Oh yes. Absolutely! Some companies are now taking this very seriously and doing good things. Others are just “ticking boxes” and green washing.’

Following the Paris Agreement and subsequent commitments to become net-zero, things seemed quite positive, however it seems that the current commitments are falling short of meeting the 1.5 degrees limit. Can you talk a little about your research on planetary boundaries and the additional efforts and cooperation needed to rebuild planetary resilience?

‘I think there is a growing realisation that this is not just about climate. It is about us recognising that we are not “above” or “better than” nature. We are a part of nature and we must respect the ecosystem of which we are a part if we want to continue to thrive. In the same way that our ancestors recognised they had to manage their relationship to the local environment for the sake of societal development (they were getting sick from drinking water being polluted by their own waste products; they were running out of game, etc.), we are recognising that we must (for the sake of continued societal development) now manage our relationship to the global environment. The PB framework helps us with this management by setting guardrails for “how much is too much” perturbation of global environmental processes. The Paris Agreement sets a guardrail for climate. The Planetary Boundaries set for other global processes we need to respect.’

In your opinion, what is the biggest threat to the ocean right now, and where is it coming from?

‘It is our waste – both CO2 (waste to the atmosphere) that impacts the ocean and chemical waste (reactive nitrogen, synthetic chemicals, plastics, etc). We are all guilty!’

The topic of the climate is so vast and complicated, and also so heavily reliant on world-wide cooperation that it must feel quite hopeless sometimes, do you have any tips on how to stay positive, hopeful and focused on raising awareness?

‘Focus on the changes you can see – so many more companies and organisations are taking up the cause now than earlier. Yes, the political scene is not good right now but addressing climate change is a “push-pull” process. In periods, politicians pull us and, in periods, we push the politicians. This is only natural (and healthy for change occurs there where there is “friction”. It will be social tipping points that, at the end of the day, will win this one. It only requires between 15 and 30% of a group to bring about a social tipping point, so we have to keep pushing!’

In the past decade, there have been many reports of an increase in climate anxiety in children. Do you feel that there is a way to talk to children about the crisis and turn that anxiety into action?

‘Oh yes. Knowledge is power and now we have the knowledge and we know what we need to do to get ourselves out of the pickle we are in, and we can ALL do something to make a difference. Children need to believe we CAN fix this and they need to be empowered with knowledge.’

In Nordic Ocean Watch we use the word Tavaha as an expression for taking care of the ocean (Taken from Tag VAre på HAvet). What does this mean to you and what would you prioritise?

‘Waste is our biggest problem. Nature has survived on a planet with limited resources to support life for over 3 billion years. It has done so by creating a perfect 100% circular economy with no waste. This is the ultimate “nature-based” solution. My dream is that children in 2050 will not know what waste is. There are now analyses that examine a country’s economy with respect to circularity. The Netherlands has made it up to over 20%. In DK, we are at around 4%! We must learn to treat the Earth’s resources as our currency for that is what they are!’

How inspiring was that!

If you want to hear more from Katherine, we would recommend reading her paper Earth Beyond Six of Nine Planetary Boundaries, and watching her lecture Human Origins and the Future of Humanity at Lund University, both inspiring and poignant reminders of our relationship with the Earth and our impact as human beings.

Earth Beyond Six of Nine Planetary Boundaries
Human Origins and the Future of Humanity