Title: Corell, Robert. 2002. A progress report on a series of regional workshops around the world designed
1Corell, Robert. 2002. A progress report on a
series of regional workshops around the world
designed to broaden and deepen an agenda for
science and technology for sustainability.
Presentation at the Science and technology for a
transition toward sustainability symposium,
American Association for the Advancement of
Science Annual Meeting. 17 February 2002. Boston,
MA.
2AAAS ANNUAL MEETING 2002Session on Development
Needs for Sustainability Science
A Progress Report on a Series of Regional
Workshops Around the World Designed to Broaden
and Deepen an Agenda for Science and Technology
for Sustainability
3These Regional Workshops Seek to Engage
- Environment and development communities
- Natural and social sciences
- Multiple sectors of human activity
- Geographic and temporal scales
- Scholars and practitioners
- Knowledge and action
4These Regional Workshops are
- Exploring the scientific questions and research
strategies that are relevant to their region, - Identifying the institutions and infrastructure
needed to address these questions and strategies,
- Identifying the means of overcoming the barriers
to implementing such an agenda, and - Identifying those areas of knowledge where we
know enough to inform action, but where that
knowledge is not being used.
5Regional Science and Technology for
Sustainability Workshops
Africa Nov. 13-15, 01 Abuja, Nigeria
Asia Feb. 4-6, 02 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Europe Feb. 27-March 1-6, 02 Bonn, Germany
Latin America March 4-6, 02 Santiago, Chile
N. America March 24-25, 02 Ottawa, Canada
Integration and Synthesis May 21-24, 02 Mexico
City, Mexico
6Some Initial Observations from the Preliminary
Findings of these Workshops ?
- S T for Sustainability that Addresses
- Scale Matters (Geographical scales are
particularly critical, vulnerabilities,
resilience, and sensitivities are very scale
dependent) - Improved Recognition of Temporal Scales
(Adaptive capacity is fundamentally dependent on
the time scale) - Regionally-Specific Sectors Matter ( Each region
or locale has specific sectoral issues of
critical importance, e.g., water, human health
and well-being, food availability and
agriculture, coastal margins, etc) - Institutions and Infrastructure (The issues of
enabling institutions and infrastructure are
particularly critical in developing countries. It
is likely, too, that there will need to be
changes in the more highly economically developed
countries as well) - Enabling Information Technology (A range of
issues have been raised from the internet to
monitoring and data/information systems -- all
being seen as critically important to further ST
for sustainability)
7Some Initial Observations from the Preliminary
Findings of these Workshops ?
- S T for Sustainability that Addresses (cont)
- Traditional or User/Local Knowledge (New
strategies to incorporate traditional or
Local knowledge into the S T process. This
issues of engaging traditional or user/local
knowledge was very frequently noted --
integrating it through the concepts of
co-production of knowledge is essential.) - Resilience and Adaptive Capacity (Understanding
and developing methodologies to estimate or
project adaptive capacity is essential as well as
strategies for enhancing the resilience of local
institutions and communities, particularly in the
context of urbanization and demographic shifts,
globalization of markets, global/local
environment change, and human well-being.) - Gender Issues (Gender issues have been critically
important in most all of the discussions and ST
should address them, e.g., equity, roles in S
T, education, employment, access, etc.)
8Some Initial Observations from the Preliminary
Findings of these Workshops ?
- Three Summary Points
- ISTS Framework is Widely Endorsed (The ISTS
framework to (i) Expand, deepen an active
research agenda for science and technology for
sustainability, (ii) strengthened infrastructure
and capacity for conducting and applying such
research, and (iii) build closer and more
effective connections between science and policy
for sustainability.) - Re-Articulate the Broader Agenda (There appears
to be a need to re-articulate the broader issues
of anchoring the ST agenda concerning the human
condition ST research not in current agenda of
science, that is to feed, house, nurture, educate
and employ a slowing in rate but growing world
population, while conserving the basic life
support systems and biotic diversity of the
planet.) - Dialogue (It is clear that major and creative
efforts should be made to enhance the quality and
effectiveness of the dialogue between scientists
decision makers, with a focus on enhanced
decision support systems for public policy and
citizen awareness.)
9Integration and Synthesis Workshop May 21-24,
02 Mexico City, Mexico
A Synthesis and Integration Gained from these
Various Perspectives to Identify
- Regional Workshops
- Workshops on Institutions
- ICSUs WSSD Insights
- InterAcademy Perspectives
- Other ST Planning for WSSD
- Fundamental Issues,
- Commonalities,
- Regional Textures, and
- The Important Patterns and Trends in the ST for
Sustainability