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Earth Science for Sustainable Development
Event Report: 4th Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for
the Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, 14–15th May 2019
The annual UN Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) aims to facilitate interactions, networks and
partnerships to identify and examine needs and gaps in technologies, scientific cooperation, innovation and capacity- building to support the SDGs. The forum is attended by member states (official national representatives), civil society,
the private sector, the scientific community, and United Nations entities (e.g., UNESCO, UN Water). Building on
engagement in 2018, Geology for Global Development led an international delegation to the 2019 Forum supported by
the International Union of Geological Sciences, IUGS/UNESCO International Geoscience Programme Project 685, and the
British Geological Survey. Here we outline our activities, contributions made, and evidence of impact.
Overview
The 2019 Forum theme was ‘science, technology and
innovation for ensuring inclusiveness and equality’, exploring
SDGs 4 (quality education), 8 (decent work and economic
growth), 10 (reduced inequalities), 13 (tackling climate
change), and 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions).
Through engaging, we hoped to increase the visibility of the
Earth science community in sustainable development
discussions, championing the importance of understanding
the natural environment, enhancing public understanding of
Earth systems and resources, and building strong professional
communities of Earth and environmental scientists. We did
this by coordinating and leading an international delegation of
early-career Earth scientists, working in diverse contexts
(e.g., Central Asia and Latin America).
Contributions to Plenary Discussions
The Forum included nine plenary sessions, focusing on:
1. Emerging technology clusters and the impact of rapid
technological change on the SDGs.
2. Strengthening capacity and policy for the development of
STI roadmaps.
3. Education and decent work for the future (SDGs 4 and 8).
4. Gender and STI for the SDGs.
5. Youth, Innovation Ecosystems and Development.
6. Inclusive and equitable societies (SDGs 10 and 16).
7. Combatting climate change and its impacts (SDG 13).
8. Linking science, technology and innovation of indigenous
peoples, culture and traditional knowledge and the
achievement of the SDGs.
9. Supporting the implementation of the Technology
Facilitation Mechanism – the way forward for joint action.
Each session had a panel discussion, followed by moderated
interventions from the floor. Priority was given to member
states, with time then given to others (e.g., UN agencies, major
groups, individual stakeholders). Collaborating with the UN
Major Group on Children and Youth, we contributed to the
drafting of four interventions (Sessions 3, 4, 7, and 8),
emphasising some key themes outlined below.
Environmental Education for Sustainable Development.
In Session 3, we led the writing of an intervention delivered
to the UN Forum by Geology for Global Development and
on behalf of the UN Major Group on Children and Youth.
We called for an understanding of the natural environment
to be at the heart of a reshaped education to support
sustainable development, noting that increased public
understanding of the dynamics of environmental systems
and planetary boundaries can help to encourage decisive
actions to secure a resilient and sustainable future for all.
In the context of decent work, we highlighted how
environmental education can help to advance sustainable
tourism (SDG 8.9) and preserve our natural heritage.
Environmental Implications of Technologies. We also
highlighted the need to consider the natural resource
(e.g., mineral, water) requirements to scale up green
technologies, and both social and environmental
challenges associated with this. We emphasised the need
to better understand how to minimise negative social and
environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of green
technologies, including building strong STI communities of
practice that promote open exchange of science.
Equitable and Inclusive Research Partnerships and
Educational Opportunities. We emphasised the need for
equitable science partnerships, highlighting this as a
potential theme for greater exploration in 2020. We also
raised specific challenges faced by women in field-based
sciences (e.g., Earth science), noting the misconceptions
that some individuals and groups can have about the
abilities of women to do fieldwork.
Tackling Climate Change as an Enabler of Other SDGs. We
influenced this intervention to highlight how actions to
address climate change are fundamental to achieving other
SDGs (e.g., inequality, water and sanitation). We noted the
need for a people and planet-centred approach to
sustainable development and policy making.
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th United Nations Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (GfGD Event Report, June 2019)
Traditional Knowledge is Essential to Fully Understand
Environmental Dynamics and Change. We advocated for
indigenous knowledge of the natural environment to be a
more substantive part of the STI discussion, including
indigenous peoples, their experiences, understanding, and
connections to the land. We highlighted how traditional (or
indigenous knowledge) extends beyond available
instrumental data both spatially and temporally, giving
context and clues for how to identify, reduce, respond to,
and recover to multi-dimensional risks. For example, we
highlighted the importance of indigenous knowledge in
disaster risk reduction, using an example of traditional
knowledge of earthquake-resistant construction methods
informing current responses to earthquake shaking.
Side Event: Earth and Environmental Science Education for
Sustainable Development
Understanding, monitoring, managing, and enhancing the
natural environment are critical to the successful delivery of
many of the SDGs. For example, understanding the impacts of
and tackling climate change, reducing risk from disasters and
protecting the bio- and geo-diversity that underpins the
livelihoods of many of the world’s poorest communities
requires enhanced understanding of Earth system science, and
translation of this knowledge into tools to inform policy and
practice. Ensuring equitable access to clean water, increasing
sustainable agricultural productivity, transitioning to clean
energy, and sustainable urban development will increase
demand on natural resources.
Achieving the SDGs therefore requires sufficient Earth and
environmental science expertise and institutions (e.g.,
environmental protection agencies, geological surveys,
meteorological agencies) to ensure the systematic collection,
integration and interpretation of environmental data to
inform decision-making at local, national and regional scales,
and drive innovation for sustainable development. This
requires more graduates and postgraduates with Earth science
backgrounds, and innovative Earth and environmental science
courses to advance sustainability objectives. Furthermore,
enhanced public understanding of Earth and environmental
science is critical to education for sustainable development,
can empower communities and inform advocacy for and
delivery of sustainable development solutions. A side event
convened by Geology for Global Development at the 2019 STI
Forum explored these themes.
Partner organisations included: UN Major Group for Children
and Youth, International Science Council, International Union
of Geological Sciences, UNESCO/IUGS International
Geoscience Programme Project 685, British Geological Survey,
Sustainable Earth Institute, University of Plymouth, Water
Youth Network, ParsQuake, Young Earth System Scientists
Community, Red Latinoamericana de Ciencias Atmosféricas y
Meteorología (RedLAtM).
We explored the following questions:
How does enhanced public understanding of
environmental processes and resources help to empower
communities and advance progress towards the SDGs?
What practical and innovative ways exist to enhance public
understanding of environmental processes and resources,
through formal and informal education, citizen science,
technologies, and place-based learning?
What measures could strengthen environmental science
capacity and institutions (particularly in the Global South),
and the ability for the global environmental science
community to contribute to the SDGs?
Speakers, all female, were: Lucilla Spini (International Science
Council), Aparna Joshi (Indian Institute of Science Education
and Research), Solmaz Mohadjer (ParsQuake), Jackie Ratner
(National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute,
Columbia University), Palmira Cuéllar (Young Earth System
Scientists Community/RedLAtM).
Primary issues discussed by speakersin the side event included:
Environmental challenges (e.g., climate change) are
inherently interdisciplinary, and can be introduced in
different parts of the curricula to help improve grassroots
engagement in sustainable development. This is
demonstrated by the work of TROP-ICSU
(https://tropicsu.org/), aiming to integrate relevant
education and science communication modules in the
education system to help people improve their
understanding of the science of climate change and in
developing necessary skills to mitigate its impact.
Indigenous and traditional knowledge can enrich our
understanding of environmental hazards and change,
critical to effective climate change action and disaster risk
reduction. Listening to community understanding is
essential to empowering people. Examples were profiled
from the work of ParsQuake (http://parsquake.org/) and
STREVA (http://streva.ac.uk/).
‘Paired Teaching’ resources can bring Earth science
expertise into classrooms of marginalised, under- resourced, or remote communities. Excellent examples
for disaster risk reduction were presented by ParsQuake:
http://parsquake.org/resources.php.
Citizen science and technology can be critical to increasing
Earth and environmental science understanding.
Examples included ‘paired teaching’ videos using structure-
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th United Nations Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (GfGD Event Report, June 2019)
from-motion photogrammetry techniques to generate
digital terrain models from crowd-sourced imagery. This is
a cheaper alternative to LiDAR or satellite surveys:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03091333
18823622?journalCode=ppga.
Formal and informal networks/academies provide a
forum to empower young scientists, foster cross- disciplinary dialogue, and strengthen communities of
practice in the Global South. For example, the Young Earth
System Scientists Community: www.yess-community.org/
or Latin American Network of Atmospheric Sciences and
Meteorology: www.facebook.com/pg/RedLAtM/about/
A key side event outcome was facilitating links between civil
society groups, the public sector, and academia. There was
strong agreement that better understanding the natural
environment is critical to achieving the SDGs, and that this
include both public understanding of Earth and environmental
science and enhancing professional communities of Earth and
environmental scientists. Based on emerging themes from
across the presentations, some recommendations include:
Earth science education should be better incorporated
into formal education curricula. The International
Geoscience Education Organisation (IGEO) and the
International Union of Geological Sciences Commission on
Geoscience Education (IUGS-COGE) set out a syllabus:
www.igeoscied.org/activities/international-geoscience- syllabus/.
Environmental institutions in the Global South should be
better resourced to enhance their collection,
management, and integration of environmental data
(e.g., relating to water, soils, geology, meteorology).
Evidence indicating this as being a locally expressed
priority, and helping to strengthen policy coherence to
reduce environmental degradation can be found here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211464518
302641
An analysis of the future needs of Earth and
environmental professionals, disaggregated by region
and sector, is needed to ensure enough expertise to help
deliver the SDGs. For example, the scaling up of so-called
green technologies (e.g., electric vehicles) requires natural
resources and effective systems to minimise waste and
pollution throughout their life cycle. This will inform
subsequent actions, around undergraduate, postgraduate
and technical training.
Developing professional Earth science networks in the
Global South can help improve access to Earth science
information by policy-makers. Earth science networks can
provide rapid information in times of crisis (e.g., after
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, extreme weather events),
and inform environmentally sensitive development
strategies at local-national levels.
Contributions to Other Side Events
The Side Events at this Forum were diverse. We attended and
contributed to many, including:
The role of engineering and science education in
empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and
equality. We promoted Geology for Global Development’s
contribution to the ‘International Commission on
Education for Sustainable Development Practice Report’
and highlighted how understanding social context is critical
to identifying research questions and ensuring impact.
Transforming the energy supply of Small Island Developing
States and other coastal communities with utility-level
electrical power generation from oceans waves- a
sustainable development innovation multi-stakeholder
partnership. Focused on innovative sustainable
technologies to improve Small Island Developing States.
Diverse Approaches to Climate Action and Resilience:
Harnessing Knowledge, Technology and innovation to
Empower Society. Highlighted the importance of
traditional knowledge to effectively building resilience.
Using SDG data to support science technology, and
innovation – the SDG 6 example.
Open Science: The Future of Science, Science for the Future
Applying new information and bio technologies for nature
observation, conservation and education
Improving Scientific Input to the SDGs: The National Science
Academies as a Case Study for Institutional Strengthening
Additional Forum Activities
Solmaz Mohadjer (Founder and Director, ParsQuake), engaged
with the Director of Division for UNESCO and International
Scientific Cooperation (Iran), and discussed ways for engaging
young Iranian scientists (in and outside the country) in
advancing the SDGs. This was followed up by sharing the work
of ParsQuake and exploring the possibility of testing
ParsQuake’s geoscience education materials in Iranian schools.
Learning and Development
Engaging in this Forum provided an opportunity to learn more
about UN work and processes, science policy and diplomacy,
and sustainable development, as well as meet and work with
early-career scientists from around the world.
“This was a big opportunity to develop my science-policy
interface and science diplomacy skills on Earth Science. At the
same time, it was a big responsibility to represent my region,
Latin America and the Caribbean. A region where young people
are preparing to face global change. The biggest challenge to
me is the necessity to bring more people from the Global South
to forums such as this one. I am so grateful for this unique and
amazing opportunity, and the opportunity to bring Global
South voices as speakers in the side event.”
Palmira Cuéllar (RedLAtM/Young Earth System Scientists Community)
“It was exciting to be an Earth scientist among many kinds of
people from different backgrounds and to be able to share how
I see the importance of studying the Earth with them. I do hope
more Earth scientists will get involved in such talks, because
knowledge of the scientific aspect of pertinent issues can really
help with producing new innovations or forming policies that
have to do with the natural environment. How can we improve
this Earth without knowing about it and how it works?”
Rachel Ong (Geophysics Undergraduate Student)
This forum helped me to become aware of networks that
mobilize scientists to support the SDGs (e.g., Global Young
Academy, Interacademy Partnership, Center for Science