Latest presentation on Future Earth from the ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

1. FUTURE EARTH IN ASIA
Nordin Hasan
Director
ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Brainstorming Session on “Future Asia”
8‐9 April 2013
Center for Sustainability Research, Academia Sinica

3. • Dynamic planet: Observing, explaining, understanding, and
projecting earth, environmental, and societal system trends,
drivers and processes and their interactions; anticipating
global thresholds and risks.
1
• Global development: Knowledge for the pressing challenges
to provide sustainable, secure and fair stewardship of food,
water, health, energy, materials, biodiversity and other
ecosystem functions and services.
2
• Transformation towards sustainability: Understanding
transformation processes and options, assessing how these
relate to human values, emerging technologies and social and
economic development pathways, and evaluating strategies
for governing and managing the global environment across
sectors and scales.
3
Research themes

4. Regional workshop
51 participants; 21 countries

5. • Natural characteristics of the region – seismic risks, monsoons, cyclones
and heat stress;
• Pressures of urbanization – megacities, health, pollution;
• Coastal hazards, vulnerability and impacts on communities and new
development plans;
• Climate variability and extremes;
• Key social pressures - rapid economic growth, population, consumption,
global connectivity;
• Water, energy, land and food security issues specific to the region;
• Emerging health issues;
• Green economy, new economic models.;
• Valuation of natural capital;
• Mountain and low land interactions – trans-boundary issues.
General priorities

6. Specific recommendations from
KL workshop
Coordination and convergence
Learning and capacity
development
Science-policy-stakeholder
interfaces

7. Welcome
Develop an understanding of what sustainability means
at the national and regional levels taking into account
varying cultural contexts
Develop global sustainability indicators that can guide
implementation at the regional and sub-regional levels
Develop strong regional representation in Future Earth
and regional priorities that are developed through in-
depth, long-term and sustained discussions
Create alliances of current integrated research projects
and researchers upon which to build long-term strength
Define clear mechanisms, such as an endorsement
process, for projects to become part of Future Earth
Develop incentive mechanisms to promote
transdisciplinary research
Foster networks for scientists across regions,
disciplinary fields and stakeholders
Develop an understanding of what sustainability means at the national and regional
levels taking into account varying cultural contexts
Develop global sustainability indicators that can guide implementation at the
regional and sub-regional levels
Develop strong regional representation in Future Earth and regional priorities that
are developed through in-depth, long-term and sustained discussions
Create alliances of current integrated research projects and researchers upon which
to build long-term strength
Define clear mechanisms, such as an endorsement process, for projects to become
part of Future Earth
Develop incentive mechanisms to promote transdisciplinary research
Foster networks for scientists across regions, disciplinary fields and stakeholders
Coordination and convergence

8. Compile examples of best practices of transdisciplinary research on
sustainability issues beginning with small and local scale projects that
could be scaled up through programmes at the regional and national
levels
Document case studies of successful integration and interdisciplinary
work in the region and create guidelines on how to do co-design and
co-production of research
Increase human capacity development training programs, through
short-term workshops, exchange of graduate students, increasing the
number of graduate research positions and Professorial Chairs within
countries in the region
Develop mentoring of young scientists in least developed countries by
more experienced researchers
Capacity development

9. Develop an understanding of what the points of entry into the policy
arena are
Develop approaches and programmes to bring into dialogue groups of
people who do not normally talk to each other
Translate and share models on how to influence policymakers - taking
into account wide range of political systems and cultural settings and
businesses, and sustain successful science-policy dialogues
Create or identify science-policy platforms to effectively inform and
engage decision- and policy-makers
Engage indigenous communities and local knowledge systems in the
research process
Science-policy-stakeholder interface

10. • International Symposium on Future Asia, December 2012,
RIHN Kyoto.
• APL - SATREPS Symposium Living in the changing planet:
Future Earth Designed by Simulation, JAMSTEC, Tokyo,
Japan. February 2013
• MAIRS Scientific Steering Committee Meting, Guangzhou
25-26 March
• Brain-storming session on Future Earth in Asia; Academia
Sinica, Chinese Taipei. 8-9 April
• OECD Global Science Forum (GSF) Workshop on Research
Collaboration between Developing Countries and Developed
Countries in Climate Change Adaptation and biodiversity,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. 18 – 19 March
Meetings in Asia after the Regional
Workshop

11. • Japan GEC National Platform possibility of
RIHN, JAMSTEC , MEXT, JST, JICA and SCJ
playing pivotal role through SATREPS.
• China: MAIRS playing a lead role; Future
Earth as theme of 1st MAIRS Open Science
Conference, Beijing, April 2014
• China Taipei: Academia Sinica and the
Center for Sustainability Research
Key research groups already at work

12. • Pacific Science Association
– 12th Pacific Science Intercongress, July 2014,
Suva Fiji
• Science Council of Asia
– Panel 13th SCA Annual Conference. Bangkok,
May 2013
– International Symposium 14th SCA Annual
Conference, June 2014
Key regional science organizations
already promoting Future Earth

13. • Understanding nature and type of
partnerships (types, interaction,
communication, mutuality)
• How to effectively organise research
collaboration that is
– National
– Transboundary
• How best to translate scientific knowledge
into benefits for society
How to take it forward?

14. • Across economic, social and cultural divides
• Significant added value by collaborating
• Complementarities between competencies
and knowledge systems, and exchange on
underlying values in intercultural
partnerships, promote sound research
contributions to development
• Enhance capacities and experience among
all partners
• Contribute to evidence-based planning and
decision-making
On the partnerships

15. Ensuring cohesion
Source: KFPE 2012

16. Which foci and priorities?
Goal orientation of partnership-based research
Modified from KFPE 2012
Innovative
Development Societal relevance

17. Taking the specific recommendations
of the KL workshop as a starting point:
Coordination and
convergence
Learning and capacity
development
Science-policy-
stakeholder interfaces
Design a
coordination
facility

18. What would the facility do?
Facilitate/pursue coordination and convergence
• Develop an understanding of what sustainability means at the
national and regional levels taking into account varying cultural
contexts;
• Develop global sustainability indicators that can guide
implementation at the regional and sub-regional levels;
• Develop strong regional representation in Future Earth and
regional priorities that are developed through in-depth, long-
term and sustained discussions;
• Create alliances of current integrated research projects and
researchers upon which to build long-term strength;
• Foster networks for scientists across regions, disciplinary fields
and stakeholders.

19. What would the facility do?
Create learning and capacity development
opportunities
• Compile examples of best practices of transdisciplinary research
on sustainability issues beginning with small and local scale
projects that could be scaled up through programmes at the
regional and national levels;
• Document case studies of successful integration and
interdisciplinary work in the region and create guidelines on
how to co-design and co-produce research;
• Increase human capacity development training programs (short-
term workshops, graduate student exchange, brokering
opportunities for research positions and Professorial Chairs,
mentoring of young scientists in least developed countries

20. What would the facility do?
Enhance understanding of science-policy and stakeholder
interface
• Develop an understanding of what the points of entry into the
policy arena are;
• Develop approaches and programmes to bring into dialogue
groups of people who do not normally talk to each other;
• Translate and share models on how to influence policymakers –
and businesses (wide range of political systems and cultural
settings prevalent in the region) - and sustain successful
science-policy dialogues;
• Create or identify science-policy platforms to effectively inform
and engage decision- and policy-makers
• Engage indigenous communities and local knowledge systems
in the research process;

21. Organizational structure of Future Earth

22. Future Earth in Asia
Concept
Planning
Implementation
Analysis
Consolidate
Future Earth
A-P
coordination
office

23. • Establish a designated coordinating facility
• Obtain funding support and recruit
personnel
• Constitute a planning group for research
and network development
• Develop an implementation strategy and
programme of work
• Opportunistically commence work
Next steps (not necessarily sequential)

24. Questions?