The Sustainability Research & Innovation (SRI) Congress is the world’s largest transdisciplinary gathering for the global sustainability community. The fourth edition of the SRI Congress, SRI/SSD2024, will be organized in collaboration with Sustainability Science Days (SSD), which for over six years has been the largest sustainability science conference in Finland. SSD is a joint collaborative effort between Finland’s two largest universities, the University of Helsinki, and Aalto University. SRI unites more than 2000 global sustainability research leaders, government and civil society experts, funders and innovators to inspire action and promote a sustainability transformation. This global, annual event elevates diverse knowledge on sustainability, provides an inspiring platform to share innovative ideas, and creates an inclusive space for collaboration and action. SRI is a joint initiative of Future Earth and the Belmont Forum.
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We are delighted to celebrate the winners of the Second CRA Photo Competition at the SRI/SSD2024! These powerful images beautifully capture the impact and collaborative spirit of Belmont Forum CRAs. Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to the winners! #BelmontForum #CRAPhotoCompetition #ResearchImpact #SRISSD2024
Were you at the live #Science4Policy podcast recording at #SRISSD2024? The episode is out now! Thank you to Toby Wardman for this fantastic experience for our attendees. Have a listen 👇 Future Earth Belmont Forum Aalto University University of Helsinki
Welcome to our 100th episode of #Science4Policy! 🎊 🎉 https://lnkd.in/ebiGwdNc This one comes to you complete with a live audience at the University of Helsinki, kindly hosted by the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2024. ➡ Warm-up debates: (1) We should get rid of daylight saving time. (2) How would a dog wear trousers? Hind legs only, or all four legs on the bottom half of its body? (3) In which order do you put on socks and shoes? Sock sock shoe shoe, or sock shoe sock shoe? 💡 Substantive debates: (1) Science advice organisations should welcome researchers who have connections to industry or campaign groups. (2) As a science advisor, I'm OK with my research being used by everyone in the policymaking process. (3) As a science advisor, it's OK to have private conversations with a policymaker. (4) As a science advisor, I should present only the evidence. Interpreting that evidence is the policymaker's job. (5) It's my duty as a scientist to lobby for changes in society, based on the evidence as I see it. (6) If a policymaker wants a simple answer from science, I should give them one. (7) When there isn't enough data for a robust evidence-based answer, I should give my best guess. (8) When scientists disagree on a controversial issue, I should present my own view on what the evidence says. (9) If the politicians make a decision which really goes against my advice, it's my duty to speak out publicly against it. (10) As a science advisor, I should try to present different stakeholder positions, such as those of affected communities.
If you enjoyed your time at #SRISSD2024 in Helsinki and Espoo this week, we invite you to continue this journey with us. Next year’s Congress, #SRI2025, will be held in Chicago, Illinois from 16-20 June 2025 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk. Building on the momentum of our previous Congresses in Australia, South Africa, Panama, and now Finland, we're excited to bring the SRI community together once again in the vibrant city of Chicago to mobilize sustainability solutions in the US and beyond. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VBh5SI Future Earth Belmont Forum University of Illinois System
And that’s a wrap! We celebrated the Congress week at our Closing Ceremony, enjoying traditional Finnish Zither music and witnessing an annual tradition: A hand-over message delivered to the host of next year’s Congress. SRI2025 will be hosted by the University of Illinois System. This year, the message was symbolized by a collaboratively woven Finnish rug replicating the "warming lines" visualization of global temperature rises. “Interdisciplinary collaboration is not just beneficial, but essential. We have seen cooperation among governments, business, researchers and individuals is key to developing sustainable solutions. No Individual alone has the power to change the future, but together we can support a healthier planet for all.” - Anne Portaankorva, Vice-rector, University of Helsinki A big thank you to all participants, speakers, and partners for making #SRISSD2024 such a success. Let’s keep the momentum going! 🌍 #SustainableAction
We asked attendees to reflect on their experience at #SRISSD2024 and share with us what makes this Congress so unique. 🎙️“I’ve been to a lot of scientific conferences, and what makes this one special is the bridge between cutting-edge research and real-world implementation. It’s unlike anything I’ve previously experienced.” - Jaana Roos, Senior Science Advisor, Research Council of Finland | Suomen Akatemia #SustainableAction
Did you see the #SRISSD2024 artwork displayed at both venues in Espoo and Helsinki? We spoke with Finnish-American artist and Aalto University student Gabriella Presnal, who created the piece especially for the Congress. #SustainableAction
🌍 Final Plenary Recap: Powering the World This morning's #SRISSD2024 plenary session provided a deep dive into global energy sustainability. Participants took part in a collaborative policy simulation, exploring future energy conflicts that might arise from a green transition and challenges such as energy poverty and environmental degradation due to mineral mining. Our Congress-goers worked together in groups to negotiate and co-create policies for climate neutrality, which our panel then talked through. Thought-provoking and immersive, our final plenary reminded us of the complexities of the energy transition and the need for shared action and inclusive policy-making processes to achieve a #just sustainability transformation that doesn’t leave anyone behind. A big thanks to our experts, Shonali Pachauri, James Mwangi, Pasi Rinne, Anu Partanen, and to Piotr Magnuszewski for walking us through this unique, experiential learning exercise. #SustainableAction
📢 The final day of #SRISSD2024 is here! 🌍 Over the past week, more than 1500 sustainability leaders from 100+ countries have gathered across the cities of Helsinki and Espoo and online to drive forward accelerated and equitable #sustainability progress. We have a great line-up of events for day 5. Here are some highlights: - Plenary 4: Powering the World: Questions about energy lie at the heart of efforts to achieve a sustainability transformation worldwide. Our final plenary beginning in a half hour at 9:00 will immerse participants in a policy simulation exercise, transporting them to a near-future energy conflict scenario. - Regenerative Futures – Science meets Business: This interactive session, organized by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, features a keynote by biologist Daniel Christian Wahl and encourages business leaders to explore innovative, new approaches to sustainability in research and business. - SRISSD2024 Closing Ceremony: Celebrate the Congress with us at the Closing Ceremony, where you’ll hear traditional Finnish Zither music, have a chance to reflect on the week and the connections you've made here, and look toward next year’s Congress. #SustainableAction
“Passive studying is not enough, we need to actively engage people.” - Misuzu Asari, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan This quote from our interactive roundtable this morning, “Cultural Cues in Circularity (3Cs): Understanding socio-cultural contexts in sustainable consumption and production”, highlights the core purpose of #SRISSD2024. Researchers, innovators, industry representatives, policymakers and more have joined us from around the world to bridge the gap between thinking and #SustainableAction. We look forward to seeing how new and reinvigorated ways of thinking are implemented across sectors beyond the Congress.
Plenary 3 speakers from the Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) at #SRISSD2024 shared thought-provoking, moving dialogues on #Indigenous relationships with our Earth, knowledge, practices, and how Indigenous communities worldwide are being impacted by unsustainable practices and #ClimateChange. Coming from all parts of the world – Ecuador, Mauritius, Nigeria, India, the Congo, Singapore, Alaska – our speakers created an inspiring space, raising awareness of the vital role of Indigenous youth in sustainability dialogues. The GIYSCC serves as a bridge between knowledge systems that have existed since pre-industrial times to future generations, and will hold GIYSCC 2024 in August, hosted by Future Earth. 🔗Find out more: https://bit.ly/4bXhO7P