Read more about this pitch...

Saphira Rekker is a PhD student from the University of Queensland, working on corporate sustainability within a Finance framework. She is passionate about reaching targets for global greenhouse gas emissions. She approaches the problem from a new angle using the pitch template. She pinpoints individuals as a driver for change, using a 'bottom up' approach that bypasses industry and government. She recognises that reaching emissions targets is a difficult problem, involving myriad stakeholders with conflicting interests and certitudes. By taking an interdisciplinary approach to calculate individuals’ greenhouse gas emission quotas, she combines economic theory and psychology on consumer behaviour to create a novel framework for practical and effective action by individuals.

Her research idea is intrinsically tied to the Planetary Boundaries Framework laid down by Rockstrom et al. (2009, 2015), which estimates a safe operating zone for human life by identifying nine planetary boundaries. As of present, we have exceeded acceptable levels for four of these boundaries: climate change, change in biosphere integrity, land-system change and biogeochemical flows. Beyond the acceptable limits of these boundaries, the future of human existence on this planet is not assured. Climate change is the boundary that we have most seriously exceeded. With a threshold level set at an atmospheric concentration of 350 ppm CO2, we are already at 400 ppm and rising. In the face of this change, a framework like the one proposed by Saphira is not only desirable, but necessary. Saphira's research end-goal is a mobile app that takes into account an individual's planetary greenhouse gas emission constraints, enabling them to monitor and reduce their emissions within a user-friendly framework. The app ultimately draws on natural human behaviour, with competitive and financial incentives making it attractive to a wide range of individuals. Could it be the new Candy Crush? We certainly hope so.