Future Earth networking conference for early career scientists
PIcture copyright Johannes Mengel
2015 is a big year for the planet. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was agreed upon in March, the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCC will take place in December, and in September the Sustainable Development Goals will be unveiled. All of these initiatives highlight the importance of enhancing the resilience of social-ecological systems to ensure the provision of ecosystem services for current and future human well-being.
To promote the role of science in the effort to develop a sustainable future for all, 32 early career researchers from around the world (representing 23 countries) convened under the banner of Future Earth. I was lucky enough to attend the conference and was blown away by the commitment and enthusiasm of the participants to find integrative, equitable and sustainable solutions for enhancing human well-being and promoting ecosystem stewardship.
Future Earth is an international research platform which seeks to coordinate interdisciplinary research and provide the knowledge and support to promote transformative change for a more sustainable world. Future Earth aims to coordinate new research through three themes: Dynamic Planet, Global Sustainable Development and Transformations towards Sustainability. Future Earth will coordinate its activities around a cluster of core projects and initiatives related to Global Environmental Change.
The aim of the networking conference was to bring together creative multidimensional, interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary perspectives to address the complex topic of sustainable development and the newly drafted sustainable development goals. Early career researchers were expected to reflect on the changing role of science and the role of science in transforming to a more sustainable world – questioning key assumptions, theories and models underlying the current research.
The conference provided a unique opportunity for me to present my research and share knowledge and experiences from work that the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services group are currently busy with. Importantly, the conference facilitated the development of new research collaborations and networks amongst participants and exciting new projects are already underway.
