The Overshoot Conference Podcast

In this ninth and final episode of the IIASA podcast series with session chair Lavanya Rajamani, we explore the eighth theme: International Law and Justice under Overshoot.

Overshoot reveals the limits of international legal frameworks to address climate harms, accountability, and equity. Vulnerable communities and future generations face irreversible loss and damage, rising costs, and reliance on unproven technologies.

We ask: How can law and justice frameworks confront overshoot? What responsibilities do states bear, and how might negotiation or litigation secure accountability and reparative justice?

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In this eighth episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series with session chair Sindra Sharma

Overshoot will leave a legacy of lasting loss and damage to societies and ecosystems. These impacts will fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable countries, communities, and people—eroding health, education, cultural heritage, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.

We ask: What does it mean to exceed the limits of adaptation? How can societies address the disaggregated harms faced by marginalized groups, and what role should human rights play in guiding responses? This episode explores approaches to addressing loss and damage at multiple scales—from local to global—through policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, and transformational adaptation.

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In this seventh episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series with session chair Kristie L. Ebi, we explore the conference’s sixth theme: Adaptation Limits under Overshoot.

The severity of climate risks in overshoot scenarios depends not only on rising temperatures but also on how societies can adapt—or fail to. Overshoot combined with low adaptive capacity can magnify risks, threatening climate-resilient and equitable development, especially for the most vulnerable.

We ask: Can adaptation planning keep pace with the challenges of overshoot, and how should equity and fairness shape these strategies? This episode examines the complexities of adapting to climate change when overshoot is on the horizon, the possibility of irreversible impacts on sensitive ecosystems, and whether long-term reversal prospects matter for adaptation decisions today.

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In this sixth episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series with session chair Jonathan Donges, we turn to the conference’s fifth theme: Overshoot Legacies and Global Tipping Elements. Overshoots may trigger irreversible Earth system changes, from sea level rise to disrupted ocean dynamics, with consequences that persist long after temperatures peak.

We ask: What risks are locked in by near-term (in)action, and can reversing global warming still reduce them? This episode explores tipping dynamics, overshoot legacies, and the limits of undoing climate damage.

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In this fifth episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series with session chair Debra Roberts, we turn to the conference’s fourth theme: Climate Impact (Ir)reversibility. Declining global temperatures after overshoot does not mean local impacts will reverse. Earth system components like oceans and the cryosphere will keep adjusting, reshaping regional climates and exposing communities to new vulnerabilities.

We ask: How is a world after overshoot different from one without it—and for whom? What benefits does warming reversal bring compared to stabilization at peak levels? With a focus on impacts that are irreversible on human timescales and on the socio-economic dynamics of overshoot, this episode explores the implications for justice, equity, and possible social tipping points.

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In this fourth episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series, we turn to the conference’s third theme: Earth System Responses up to Net Zero and Beyond with session chair Deliang Chen. Uncertainties in how the Earth System reacts during and after overshoot remain substantial—and they will shape the potential for reversing global warming. What determines the level of peak warming, and how much does this influence the scale and impacts of overshoot? Does the Earth System behave differently once we reach global net negative emissions compared to the path leading up to net zero?

Exploring these questions is crucial for understanding how quickly temperatures might decline, and how much carbon dioxide removal (CDR) could be required. This theme brings together perspectives from whole Earth System studies as well as targeted insights into specific components, such as the carbon cycle. Emerging evidence from the observational record adds further nuance to the debate.

This podcast is for both curious listeners and conference participants who want to gain an overview of the thinking on Earth System responses in a world facing climate overshoot.

Subscribe to follow all nine episodes and explore the many perspectives on how to navigate a world beyond 1.5°C.

In this third episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series, we turn to the conference’s second theme: Carbon Dioxide Removal – Sustainability Constraints and Opportunities. Keywan Riahi explores how different approaches to removing CO₂ from the atmosphere—from restoring natural ecosystems to engineered extraction and geological storage—can be scaled in ways that are both effective and sustainable.

In this second episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series, we turn to the conference’s first theme: Highest Possible Ambition under Overshoot. Session chair Joeri Rogelj explores how the Paris Agreement’s call for countries to pursue their ‘highest possible ambition’ must be understood in a world that is set to exceed 1.5°C of warming. What does ambition mean when historical responsibility, equity, and accountability are at stake? And how can climate governance adapt to this new reality? This podcast is for both curious listeners and conference participants who want to get an overview of the diverse topics that will be discussed. Subscribe to follow all nine episodes and explore the many perspectives on how to navigate a world beyond 1.5°C.

Subscribe to follow all nine episodes and explore the many perspectives on how to navigate a world beyond 1.5°C.

In this first episode of the nine-part IIASA podcast series, climate scientist Carl Schleussner introduces the concept of climate overshoot and previews the key themes of the upcoming Overshoot Conference.

This podcast is for both curious listeners and conference participants who want to get an overview of the diverse topics that will be discussed.

Subscribe to follow all nine episodes and explore the many perspectives on how to navigate a world beyond 1.5°C.