Seite - 8 - in options, Band winter 2020
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he immediate consequences of the COVID-19
pandemic were frightening – a public health
emergency, an economic catastrophe, large-
scale unemployment, and food-related insecurities.
Yet, some potential bright spots for sustainability have
also since emerged, such as greater flexibility for many
people with remote work, reduced air pollution, and
a slowdown in greenhouse gas emissions.
In the early days of the crisis, as countries around
the world instituted lockdowns, IIASA leaders and
others in the scientific community recognized the
potential opportunities arising from strong government
actions, which in a matter of days brought the world
to a standstill, exploded innovations in support of new
business models, and encouraged accompanying
lifestyle changes.
“What we saw with COVID-19 was absolutely unique.
We started seeing that there were a lot of things that
were very positive, that could be preserved, but also
some very negative ones that we needed to either
eliminate or mitigate,” explains IIASA emeritus
researcher Luis Gomez-Echeverri.
“What COVID-19 did was to hold up a mirror to
society at large on the weaknesses resulting from our
patterns of development – particularly the extreme
inequalities that are often brushed under the carpet,”
comments IIASA Deputy Director General for Science
Leena Srivastava.
With the International Science Council (ISC), IIASA
moved quickly to launch an initiative to consult the
best in science and practice, and to pull out actionable
information that policymakers could use to cement
positive changes while addressing the huge challenges.
The initiative takes an inclusive and consultative
approach to address four key themes: Governance for
Sustainability, Strengthening Science Systems,
Resilient Food Systems, and Sustainable Energy. “We realized that positive changes could be
preserved only if there was a conscious intervention,”
says Srivastava. “With recovery packages however
already being announced, we had to act rapidly, yet
confidently, to identify interventions that would
nurture and accelerate the transformative changes
being witnessed, while resulting in longer term
systemic transformations. We therefore offset the
absence of sufficient evidence from our new context
by bringing together a pool of experts from different
disciplines and domains.”
Through a series of workshops, online consultations,
and a side event organized in cooperation with the
Permanent Missions of Norway and South Africa to
the UN as part of the 75th UN General Assembly, the
platform has engaged a diverse pool of nearly 300
decision makers, practice experts, and scientists, from
around the world. It has also attracted interest from
many entities including the private sector, research
organizations, academia, and civil society.
“What’s unique about this initiative is that
it is science-based and systemic. Many
others look at one particular sector, or
one especially urgent item,” explains
Gomez-Echeverri.
The outputs of the initiative will
include a series of reports with key
messages and recommendations for
policymakers. It will also create a
new global network and community of
practice that helps bring systems analysis
into decision making in matters related to
the response to COVID-19.
After the pandemic
Luis Gomez Echeverri: gomez@iiasa.ac.at
Leena Srivastava: srivastava@iiasa.ac.at
Further info: covid19.iiasa.ac.at/isc
The world after COVID-19 will look very different, but how can we ensure it changes
for the better? The IIASA-ISC post-COVID initiative brings a transdisciplinary, systemic
perspective to inform transformations towards sustainability, equity, and security.
8 Options www.iiasa.ac.atWinter
2020
Science
into policy
By Katherine Leitzell
zurĂĽck zum
Buch options, Band winter 2020"
options
Band winter 2020
- Titel
- options
- Band
- winter 2020
- Ort
- Laxenburg
- Datum
- 2020
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 32
- Kategorien
- Zeitschriften Options Magazine