International Science Council with The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Government of Sweden), Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (Formas), and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

The scope, scale and speed of human pressures on Earth is unprecedented. Humanity has become the dominant force in shaping the future of all planetary systems. For the first time in our history the most serious and immediate risks are human made and unfold at planetary scales, from climate change to the COVID-19 pandemic, to biodiversity loss and rising inequalities. Advancing human development while minimizing planetary pressures is now the most important frontier for human exploration, and the most pressing one for science, if it wishes to remain relevant to human development and flourishing on planet Earth. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 by the United Nations is a global response seeking to reconcile human development with planetary boundaries. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly set back efforts toward SDG achievement bringing to the fore the urgent need to both accelerate the pace of progress to achieve the global goals by 2030, and to take substantial actions to advance needed transformations beyond 2030. The side event will bring together policy makers, national science funders, foundations, development aid agencies and international science institutions to present a roadmap to scale up the impact of science in advancing this urgent, transformative agenda globally. One of the main goals of this initiative is to achieve truly global and equal research partnerships. The side event will also launch a report “Unleashing Science: Delivering Missions for Sustainability”, outlining the critical priorities for science that will support and enable societies to accomplish the SDGs by 2030

Register for event