Workshop & Opening Event, 18 November 2021, University of Fribourg

The UN's 2030 Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Switzerland is currently not on course to achieve them. How can science contribute to accelerating the necessary transformation? The Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) has outlined the most urgent need for research on the basis of six priority topics: i) food for people and planet, ii) thriving spaces: sustainability and spatial development, iii) net-zero greenhouse gas emissions society, iv) economic and financial systems for well-being, v) shared values, visions and pathways, and vi) dealing with synergies, trade-offs, and common threds.

In order to address these research needs, this event will highlight the topics to which the University of Fribourg can contribute, the open questions it intends to address and the new partnerships that would be promising in this regard.

This event invites researchers and teachers of the University of Fribourg as well as other interested parties to reflect together on the following questions:

1. Which aspects of the priorities identified by the Academies are already being researched at the University of Fribourg? In which areas does it contribute to the priority topics?
2. What are the main gaps and unresolved issues? How, by whom and in which partnerships could they be addressed?
3. How can research and teaching on these issues be institutionalised at the University of Fribourg, what institutional requirements are needed for this and what role can the Environmental Sciences and Humanities Institute play in this?

When registering, participants choose three priority themes" for discussion in groups.

The event is part of SCNAT's "Sustainability Science Dialogues" series.

All information and registration at https://www.unifr.ch/env/en/info/sustainability-science-dialogue.html

Organizers:

UniFR_ESH Institute : Ivo Wallimann-Helmer, Matthias Eggel, Hanna Schübel; environment[at]unifr.ch 

SCNAT: Gabriela Wülser, Anja Bretzle