Workshop: Progress, challenges and opportunities for sustainability science

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a virtual public workshop, Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities for Sustainability Science on November 30, December 1, and December 2, 2020 (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). Register now.

The workshop will review the state of cutting edge research that can help societies meet the goals of sustainable development, and provide scientific input to the ongoing discussions of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Grand Challenges in Science initiative and the Nobel Prize Summit “Our Planet, Our Future” that will be held in Spring 2021.

The workshop has been designed by a Steering Committee that includes GIOSI board members Pamela Matson (co-chair) and William Clark (co-chair), 2007 Wrigley Lecturer Partha Dasgupta, as well as Arun Agrawal, Ruth DeFries, Carl Folke, Robert O. Keohane, Diana Liverman, and Stephen Polasky.

It is structured around six themes that research has shown to be important in the pursuit of sustainability: (1) measuring progress toward sustainable development; (2) promoting equity and justice in sustainability efforts; (3) adapting to shocks and surprise; (4) fostering innovation for transformational change; (5) linking knowledge with action; and (6) managing and governing complex nature-society systems. Each theme will be addressed in a panel featuring presentations by, and discussions among, a half-dozen or so leading scholars from around the world.

More details are available on the project website including a list of panelists and other speakers, an agenda including timing of the individual panels, and a set of background readings.

Please register in advance to receive information on how to view the workshop.