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Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities
Webinar

Drivers of change, risks and opportunities: navigating an uncertain and complex world

On the occasion of their recently published report, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has organised a webinar where Centre for the Study of the Sciences and Humanities (SVT) professor Jeroen van der Sluijs is keynote speaker and SVT professor II Silvio Funtowicz is a panel participant.

Solar panels
The EEA report argues that varying global and European trends point not only to continuing sustainability challenges and new risks, but also towards opportunities for positive change.
Photo:
Chelsea/Unsplash

Main content

About the EEA

The European Environment Agency (EEA) provides sound, independent information on the environment for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public. In close collaboration with the European Environmental Information and Observation Network (Eionet) and its 32 member countries, the EEA gathers data and produces assessments on a wide range of topics related to the environment.

EEA report

The EEA report provides an in-depth characterisation of developments that range from demographic shifts to leaps in technological innovation, and from global competition for natural resources to changes in geopolitical landscape and people’s lifestyles. It also shines a light on these developments' potential implications for major policy processes such as the European Green Deal (EGD) in the EU and the UN Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals.

Read the full EEA report here: Drivers of change of relevance for Europe's environment and sustainability. Project manager for the report, Lorenzo Benini at the EEA, was also interviewed recently

Webinar: Drivers of change, risks and opportunities: navigating an uncertain and complex world

The webinar will be an occasion to reflect with experts working at the science-policy interface on the nature of evidence and our knowledge base in presence of uncertainty and complexity, sustainability challenges, as well as on the opportunities that are offered for sustainability transitions in Europe.

Draft agenda

Chair: Jock Martin (Head of Integrated Assessment for Sustainability, EEA)

09:30 – 09:35  - Welcome and objectives of the webinar

09:40 – 10:10 – Driver of change of relevance for Europe’s environment and sustainability (Lorenzo Benini, EEA)

10:15 – 10:45 – Uncertainty, risks and the precautionary principle (Jeroen van der Sluijs, Professor at SVT, University of Bergen) 

10:45 – 11:50 – Panelist session facilitated by the chair

-        Serenella Sala (Joint Research Centre of the European Commission)

-        Lieve van Woensel (Panel for the Future of Science and Technology, European Parliament)

-        Silvio Funtowicz (Professor II at SVT, University of Bergen)

11:50 – 12:00 – Concluding remarks

Please note that the webinar is for invitees only.