One of the most surprising and disruptive developments of the last few years has been the “fake news” phenomenon. It’s now increasingly clear who benefits in terms of power and influence; what’s less clear is why people continue to believe in it, even when “alternative facts” are categorically and repeatedly debunked. Back in 2016, UNU-MERIT was asked by the City of Knowledge in Panama to lead a science reporting workshop for journalists, communications officers and policymakers. We ambitiously ...
A UN Day 2019 message from UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General David M. Malone ••• United Nations Day (24 October) is a time to reflect on how the UN benefits us all by addressing vital issues that are the common concern of all humankind. The UN Charter was written in the name of “We the peoples of the United Nations,” but the UN is inherently an organisation of its member states. The paradox is that it relies tremendously on public support, as the struggle against climate change makes cle...
This month I travelled from Maastricht to Bruges on the day that happened to be the hottest day ever recorded in both Dutch and Belgian meteorological history. As weather experts were explaining how a wave of hot air had moved north from the Sahara across continental Europe, it became clear to most European citizens that heat waves have no borders, with heat records also broken in neighbouring France and Germany. In Maastricht and Bruges, temperatures, as if they had harmonised, were ultimately ...
In May 2019, the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released a summary report for policymakers, “suggesting that around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss”. Highlighting the importance of biodiversity not only for our quality of life but for human existence per se, the report calls for transformative changes, i.e. “a fundamental, system...
This Friday, pupils in countless cities across the world will skip school and march for climate action. In just a few months, the movement has made quite an impact. It now needs policy backup – and action. In a recent tweet, the 16-year-old Swedish youth leader Greta Thunberg gave a list of practical recommendations for all school-striking youngsters: “no violence, no damage, no litter, no profit, no hatred, minimize your own carbon footprint, and always refer to science.” The last one may seem ...
“The last lesson I learnt is that sustainability is not in the future but in the present. Personal experience taught me that most people want to be reassured that they are going to survive 2019.” Silvio Funtowicz, Philosopher of Science, University of Bergen During the first week of February, the University of Bergen in Norway hosted the 2nd National SDG Conference. Over two days, national and international speakers from academia, government, civil society, activism and the United Na...
My research addresses the problem of deforestation and forest preservation in Brazil. This country has the largest stretch of tropical forest in the world. Surprisingly, and this is good news for once, Brazil has reduced yearly deforestation levels dramatically over the last decade. Since the Rio Conference in 1993, the Brazilian government has given protected status to 40% of the ‘Amazônia Legal’ region. This means it has demarcated indigenous areas, monitored deforestation via satellite imager...
A UN Day 2018 message from UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General David M. Malone. ••• The United Nations of 2018 exists in a world that is more interconnected than ever before. Countries are no longer insulated from the setbacks and challenges of other nations, and all profit in some way from each other’s innovation and success. Global paths to shared progress, however, seem increasingly elusive among bitter social divides and growing inequality. Our success in overcoming these and other bar...
Your PhD revolves around the redistribution of land and its impact on agricultural outcomes; this is timely and relevant given climate change and its impact on food security. Can you elaborate on your dissertation topic? ...
The Dead Sea, Jordan – the lowest point on Earth, where three thousand delegates at the World Science Forum are sharing the highest of aspirations: to make sure science brings ‘real change’, and perhaps even peace. A gathering of researchers and policymakers under the patronage of Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO and King Abdullah II of Jordan, this year’s forum coincides with the COP23 Climate Change Conference in Bonn as well as World Science Day for Peace and Development – a day for h...