Science and Engineering at The University of Edinburgh |
||||
|
||||
![[University Logo]](/icons/unilogo_25476c.gif "Link to The University of Edinburgh Home Page"){kind=icon}
![[Global Challenges]](challenges.jpg "Global Challenges")
Global Challenges
There is increasing recognition that a range of global challenges will impact on development processes for both developing and developed countries over the next decades. The UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington has highlighted these to promoted debate in both the research and policy communities. DFID’s 2009 White Paper (Building our common Future) capture some of the challenges, mainly, climate change, food security, water and conflict.
Global challenges is an emerging research theme and current activity aims to engage a range of stakeholders in a process to start addressing the links between global challenges and development. A detailed concept note on this theme was presented to DFID’s Strategy Group in July 2009, and a keynote presentation on "What is Our Common Future" was presented to the Science Policy Success workshop held by Knowledge Scotland in October 2009. An international workshop on the theme of food security will be hosted by the EIDC in November 2009 bringing together researchers and development practitioners from around the world under the auspices of Universitas 21.
The loss of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is seen to be one of the global challenges of importance to the world's poor. Current research on biodiversity and forests are described elsewhere on this site.
Recent Presentations
| Title | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| What is our common future? |
Science Policy Success. (Keynote) Event organised by Knowledge Scotland . |
The most recent in a series of invited presentations in 2009 which address major global challenges ("Perfect Storm" issues). This presentation considers how society needs to respond to global challenges and the role of science in providing the evidence required to build a common vision for the future |
| Ecosystem services, biodiversity and poverty reduction. Is conservation the answer? |
Invited presentation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. |
The second in a series of presentations considering global challenges. The main theme of this presentation is that the rate and extent of global change is such that society's responses will need to be placed within the context of what is achievable in the future, rather than trying to conserve the past. |
| Society, environment and development |
Natural Capital Initiative (Keynote) Launch event of the Natural Capital Initiative. |
The first in the series of presentations considering global challenges. This presentation suggests that people need to be considered to be part of their ecosystems. It concludes with the statement that conservation needs to be for the benefit of people (and society) and that people need be to considered to be part of the solution providing sustainable ecosystem services, and not the problem. |