Sessions on sustainability and biodiversity: joining efforts to improve the future of the planet
Representatives of more than a hundred research teams from different faculties of the University of Barcelona are gathering on March 18 and 19 in the sessions on sustainability and biodiversity. The aim of the meeting, online, is to promote the development of a future institutional center to include the UB research groups that work on these areas.
Representatives of more than a hundred research teams from different faculties of the University of Barcelona are gathering on March 18 and 19 in the sessions on sustainability and biodiversity. The aim of the meeting, online, is to promote the development of a future institutional center to include the UB research groups that work on these areas.
This institutional initiative, which aims to be important in the field of sustainability and preservation of nature, results from the worries that come up in the academic field given the urgency of current crises -climate, health, economic, etc. - and the need to reform the knowledge structures to give faster and efficient answers to the new challenges of the 21st century.
In the proposal, promoted by the Deanʼs Office of the Faculty of Biology, are the deanʼs offices of the faculties of Fine Arts, Earth Sciences, Law, Economics and Business, Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Physics and Chemistry. The objectives to achieve strengthen the UB commitment to fulfil the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the new growth strategy for the European Green Deal. Also, these are in line wit the leading role of the University of Barcelona in the European alliance CHARM-EU.
A more sustainable future for the planet
The sessions are the starting point of a project that wishes to include a great potential on research, teaching, transfer and dissemination of knowledge, promoted by the UB teams located in the Barcelona Knowledge Campus, and therefore be listed as a model internationally. The institutional initiative aims to promote synergy programs on research, teaching, transfer and knowledge outreach willing to bring scientific, social and technological solutions that are essential and urgent to guarantee a more sustainable future.
“It is necessary to take actions to accelerate the ecological, energetic and economic transition, and re-guide education and communication systems with society”, says Professor Rosina Gironès, dean of the Faculty of Biology. “Our proposal aims to promote the creation of a cross-sectional research center or institute -open to other teams of the UB and other institutions-, formed by research teams working on sustainability and preservation of nature”, she adds. Energetic transition, climate change, natural risks, management of natural resources, new environmental improvement technologies and sustainable food production are some of the ten future challenges to treat in the program of these sessions.
“In this forum, we will meet the current and future approaches in some of the most critical challenges for sustainability and preservation of nature”, notes Rosina Gironès. “The scientific sessions will enable to identify complementarities and build up teams from different fields of biology, physics, geology, economics, law, pharmacy, mathematics, computer science and even art. We want to make more multidisciplinary teams with a more efficient structure to deal with the challenges we have as a society, globally”, concludes the dean.