Richard Musgrove
Dr Richard Musgrove is a zoologist and science journalist. He writes for Cosmos and Double Helix.
Scientists from 19 nations, including Australia and New Zealand, have been selected to compete for the annual Frontiers Planet Prize, the world’s largest science prize.
Each “National Champion” has been chosen for their scalable solutions to help keep humanity safely within planetary sustainability boundaries.
In June the Swiss based science philanthropic organisation will whittle down the finalists to 3 scientists who will be called ‘International Champions’. Each will be awarded $US1M to scale-up their research. Winners are selected by an independent jury of 100 leading scientists.
Oceania scientists usually punch above their weight and this prize is no exception, with national champions from both countries selected in all three years of the Prize so far.
University of Sydney’s Dr Arunima Malik, research is focussed on “polarizing and equalizing trends in international trade and Sustainable Development Goals.”
Across the Tasman, the University of Auckland’s Dr Sebastian Steibl, will present on “Rethinking atoll futures: local resilience to global challenges”
The Prize focusses on providing solutions to avoid further crossing of any of the nine sustainability boundaries identified by the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. Boundaries relate to biosphere, atmosphere, freshwater and oceans, biogeochemical flows and climate change.
The Frontiers Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation based in Switzerland.
Professor Jean-Claude Burgelman, Director of the Frontiers Planet Prize says: “Faced with immense threats to people and planet, we need bold, transformative solutions, rooted in evidence and validated by science. Innovative yet scalable solutions are the only way for us to ensure healthy lives on a healthy planet. By spotlighting the most groundbreaking research, we are helping scientists bring their work to the international stage and provide the scientific consensus needed to guide our actions and policies.”
Unfortunately, six of the nine have already been crossed, says Resilience Centre Researcher, Professor Johan Rockström “We don’t know how long we can keep transgressing these key boundaries before combined pressures lead to irreversible change and harm.”
“Earth is a living planet, so the consequences are impossible to predict.” Says Resilience Centre researcher, Dr Sarah Cornell
The planet champions present their solutions on the 17th of June, 2025, at Villars Palace, Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland.
