In this episode, Professor Katrin Böhning-Gaese, scientific director of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, and podcast host Dr. Volker Hahn discuss the Planetary Boundaries framework, focusing not only on the science but also considering the value of this framework for communication. Other questions at the heart of this episode are: Where has communication on climate and biodiversity gone wrong? Is there a tendency to exaggerate risks and understate progress? What are the consequences of catastrophizing rhetoric for mental health and people’s readiness to act? What can biodiversity communication learn from climate communication, and vice versa? Most importantly, how can researchers and the media do better?

Related links:

Katrin Böhning-Gaese on the UFZ website: https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=51666

The Planetary Boundaries Framework and its control variables discussed in this podcast (HANPP, industrial nitrogen fixation, among others): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458

“Global Catastrophic Risks 2026”, “Ecological Collapse” section, cited in this episode: https://globalchallenges.org//app/uploads/2025/12/GCF-Risk-report-2026-Risk-2-.pdf