The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) and its partners, including Institut Pasteur, are organizing two free events and open to the public: an International Science Summit and a Scientific Symposium.
From 27-29 June 2023 in Paris, scientists representing diverse disciplines, international government officials, leaders of science funding agencies, and more, will meet at the « Fundamental Life Science meets Climate, Environment and Sustainability » conference, under the High Patronage of the French presidency. They will discuss how basic research in the life sciences can play critical roles in advancing solutions for climate change and sustainability.
Registration
Entrance is free and open to the public. Prior registration is mandatory.
Register here
The United Nations (U.N.) Agenda for 2030 identifies climate change, biodiversity, oceans, health, and other sustainable development goals as major challenges in the 21st century. Profound scientific understanding is key to creating the policies and solutions humanity must have for a transition to a sustainable future. However, scientific communities don’t often collaborate to address these challenges. This is especially true of basic life science, which has not been connected to the sustainability discourse, as those conversations have traditionally been the domain of environmental science.
How basic science can facilitate the sustainability transition
Disciplines such as molecular and developmental biology have enormous potential to contribute to helping people advance creative solutions that promote greater sustainability. Researchers in molecular life sciences can contribute to the understanding of the biology of climate change. Also scientists in systems and cognitive neuroscience can provide vital knowledge in understanding human and societal behaviour in the transition to a low-carbon society and economy. Unlimited opportunities to tackle the challenges of a sustainable transformation also lie in the convergence between basic life sciences and engineering, which are expected to drive rapid innovation in the next decade. Interdisciplinary approaches are especially important for these purposes, but what is currently missing is a holistic, integrative approach that connects the fragments in a meaningful way to better accelerate sustainable development transitions.
Program
June 27, 2023, a High-level Science Summit:
The first event is a high-level Science Summit, with HFSP’s contribution to the U.N. International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). The Summit will draw high level ministerial representatives, science policy leaders, leaders of science funding agencies, and others in the global scientific enterprise addressing the point of how to manage science programs to accelerate and facilitate the sustainability transition.
Location: L’Académie des Sciences – 23 Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris
June 28 & 29, 2023, an International Scientific Symposium:
The second event is an international Science Symposium featuring scientists from around the world talking about cutting-edge science across the fields of life science, environmental science and sustainability. The symposium will focus on four thematic areas:
- Climate Change and Health ( including keynote speakers from Institut Pasteur: Stewart Cole, President, Arnaud Fontanet, epidemiologist)
- Ocean Biodiversity and Resources at Risk
- Food Security in a Changing World
- Individuals, Institutions, and Society – the Need for Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness Transformations
Location : Auditorium André et Liliane Bettencourt – 3 rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris
Human Frontier Science Program International partners
The events are organized by the Human Frontier Science Program Organization with its partners: The French Ministry of Education, Research, and Innovation; French National Centre for Scientific Research; French National Research Agency; French Academy of Sciences; the Institut Pasteur; UNESCO; International Science Council; European Research Commission; European Molecular Biology Laboratory; and the U.N. International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainability.
For more information: www.hfsp.org/paris-summit-symposium
