TC/ESG25 Plenary Recordings
Our plenaries were moments to gather, listen, and speak across boundaries of discipline, place, and practice.
Each session invited us to confront the realities of the polycrisis while imagining pathways for just and sustainable futures.
Opening Plenary – Setting the Stage
Hosted by Laura Pereira, the opening welcomed us into Johannesburg with messages from Wits University, the South African government, and the Transformations Community. David Obura’s keynote on global biodiversity futures anchored the session, followed by a panel with Dylan McGarry and Mpume Mthombeni that opened the space for reflection and audience participation.
Situating African Issues in the Transformation Context
This plenary highlighted African-led initiatives in urban renewal, renewable energy, youth-driven environmental action, and the creative integration of art and science. Case studies and policy leadership demonstrated how African scholars and practitioners are shaping globally relevant models of transformation and expanding the conversation on futures that are both just and viable.
Beyond Goals—Pathways to Transformative Change
Frank Biermann and Karen O’Brien examined the limits of the SDGs and offered perspectives on what it takes to move from global goals to systemic change. Joined by David Obura, youth voices, practitioners, and Global South leaders, the panel explored how agency, context, and relationships can turn ambition into real transformation.
Closing Reflections by Susi Moser
Susi Moser closed TC/ESG25 with a poetic weaving of discomfort, care, and commitment. Her words held space for grief and possibility, reminding us that transformation is carried forward not by certainty, but by the strength of community and imagination.
Together, these plenaries traced a journey — from opening the space in Johannesburg, to grounding transformation in African contexts, to questioning global frameworks, and finally to closing with reflection and resolve. They remind us that transformation is not a single conversation,
but an unfolding dialogue we carry forward into our work and communities.
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