As RESTORE NATURE enters into force today in the EU, here are four research priorities to tackle
Today, 18 August, the EU's Law to Restore Nature enters into force. At the same time, the huge questions of the climate and biodiversity themes need a proper, prominent, and relevant space also within our research communities.
REPORT OF THE DAY
While Brussels might have a reputation for churning out reports, here's a really oustanding one for anyone interested in asking future-driven questions and co-shaping the governance infrastructure and approach to the "green transition".
The European Commission 's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation issued the 43-page report just before the summer. Nearly 20 experts and editors from the Future Earth network collaborated and engaged in an extensive consultative and participatory process, to hammer home what they see as a necessary approaches and undertakings in research today.
Overall, they recall that "the intertwined crises of climate change and biodiversity loss must be addressed together, as identified by the assessments of both the IPCC and IPBES . A "nexus approach" to governance, involving mainstreaming of biodiversity into climate policy and vice versa, has been suggested to help guide policy interventions that have the potential to generate synergistic wins and avoid unintended consequences.."
The authors go on to underline the primacy of transdiscplinary research approaches. They then conclude that universities and researchers shall focus on the following four priorities now: (subtitles my own)
HUMANS = NATURE
"Human health and wellbeing, and the health of the biosphere are inextricably linked. It follows that it is imperative to take a systems approach to investigating the health of the planet, including all living and non-living, human and non-human. ... The report embraces the idea of the one-ness of the planet, and the "one nature" approach."
TEAR DOWN THESE WALLS!
"An integrated research approach is needed to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss. (Hitherto, the research community investigating in the climate system is "significantly distinct" from that investigating biodiversity. .. "This functional separation creates a risk of incompletely identifying, understanding, and dealing with the connections between the two. .. "
GREEN TRANSITION = PEOPLE WORK
"Research must focus upon finding effective societal, governance, and policy solutions to the linked challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Much research has been directed to a better scientific understanding ... and developing new technologies and methods to enhance that understanding. The new research agenda should focus increasingly upon societal, governance, and policy issues. In particular, research must be aimed at developing governance and policy frameworks to tackle the challenges of climate change and biodiversity."
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GET THE HUMANITIES ON BOARD.
"Transdisciplinary approaches must be a prominent feature of the new research agenda. ... research is needed to support good decision-making on climate change and biodiversity.. increasing participation of the social sciences and humanities, and strengthening the science-policy interface."
The report goes on to list precise research gaps and fields, and aims - overall - to promote TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH.
(Disclaimer: I do this by my own will; nobody pays me to highlight this new report)
These insights in "Towards Sustainably Transformation - Research Priorities in Climate Change and Biodiversity" read quickly and easily, and might even sound generic to some of you. However, I have had plenty of opportunities in and with research institutions and (wonderful!) teams in the past years.
These cooperations have shown just HOW
It is reassuring to see that the report's authors and a myriad of people sparring with them now articulate these priorities loudly and clearly.
Also, it's of course great to see priorities on such a big scale converge with thoughts in my and our own (humble) work:
It remains a big dream that Think Tanks, universities, institutions and individual researchers but also the funding and financing communities e.g. in philanthropy gauge the potential and urgency of this new EC report.
If they translate the "4 priorities" into action, this could be hugely consequential in a positive sense.
Mathilde MOUSSON Susanna Krueger Felix Oldenburg Active Philanthropy Felicitas von Peter Takashi Sugimoto Susanne Sugimoto Stefan Schöbi Giorgiana Notarbartolo di Villarosa Patrizia Isabelle Nanz European Universities Consortium EUC Voices Karolina Begusch Pfefferkorn Henriette Spyra Heike Platter Julia Kirchweger Ulrike Leis Laura Maanavilja Angelika Rubin Claudio Dondi Mirjam DONDI Dr. Davide Brocchi Florian Egli Alexandra Lieben Nina Hachigian Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff #biodiversitymatters #sustainabilitymatters
Master's Programme European Studies and EU Project Management | Journalism
4moI just travelled Europe and I am active in several European student or youth platforms in Vienna. In all these gatherings, it becomes very clear that young people want to know more about biodiversity. They want to restore nature. They want to know how they can get active in their hometowns and experience nature in a responsible way. One of the circles even tries to introduce biodiversity into an election campaign.