2:37 PM - 3:00 PM
[U09-03] IGU (International Geographical Union) and IYBSSD
★Invited Papers
Keywords:IYBSSD, IGU, GeoUnions, basic science, applied science, International Science Council
IYBSSD, or the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development, is an international year intended to enhance the role of basic sciences for sustainable development proposed initially by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and approved by the UN General Assembly on 4th December 2021. It runs through July 2022 – June 2023. IGU (International Geographical Union) is one of its steering committee members, and is promoting the event.
Michel Spiro, the President of the IUPAP who chairs the Executive Committee of IYBSSD, says that "basic sciences provide the essential means to meet crucial challenges such as universal access to food, energy, health coverage and communication technologies." Geography has long been known as the mother of science, and geographers conceive basic sciences as inclusive of human, social and environmental sciences as well as natural sciences, and believe they can contribute to IYBSSD in various ways. Geography is the science for sustainability, and can be characterized by its nature as a curiosity-driven basic science, which may have been demonstrated typically by cultural geographic or topographic studies, as well as an applied science, which is evident in regional planning, sustainability programmes, disaster prevention/mitigation etc.
The Executive Committee of the IGU considered that it was in IGU interests to promote research and activities in relation to IYBSSD, and that it represents an excellent opportunity for the IGU community to think about the role of geography. I as a member of the EC was charged with writing to the IGU national and commission chairs accordingly in early May 2022.
It was on 17th July 2022, i.e. immediately after the opening event of IYBSSD, that the ISC GeoUnions, i.e. the union of nine geoscience unions namely IAU, ICA, IGU, INQUA, ISPRS, IUGG, IUGS, IUSS and URSI, had its SC meeting in Paris and discussed, among others, ways to contribute to this initiative, and the idea of launching a webinar series of high-profile online lectures by eminent scientists emerged. The call for nomination of possible speakers was made to the member unions swiftly, while the proposal of the “Distinguished Lecture Series on Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development” was sent to the ISC. The proposal was welcomed by the ISC, and the first three lectures using ISC online platform have been scheduled in February, March and April 2023.
The National Committee for the IGU, which is also the IGU Committee of Science Council of Japan, works closely with the IGU, JOGS (Japan Organization of Geographical Sciences), and IYBSSD Committee of Science Council of Japan, and the information above is shared in the IGU community and beyond, and a network of networks for IYBSSD appears to be emerging in Japan.
Michel Spiro, the President of the IUPAP who chairs the Executive Committee of IYBSSD, says that "basic sciences provide the essential means to meet crucial challenges such as universal access to food, energy, health coverage and communication technologies." Geography has long been known as the mother of science, and geographers conceive basic sciences as inclusive of human, social and environmental sciences as well as natural sciences, and believe they can contribute to IYBSSD in various ways. Geography is the science for sustainability, and can be characterized by its nature as a curiosity-driven basic science, which may have been demonstrated typically by cultural geographic or topographic studies, as well as an applied science, which is evident in regional planning, sustainability programmes, disaster prevention/mitigation etc.
The Executive Committee of the IGU considered that it was in IGU interests to promote research and activities in relation to IYBSSD, and that it represents an excellent opportunity for the IGU community to think about the role of geography. I as a member of the EC was charged with writing to the IGU national and commission chairs accordingly in early May 2022.
It was on 17th July 2022, i.e. immediately after the opening event of IYBSSD, that the ISC GeoUnions, i.e. the union of nine geoscience unions namely IAU, ICA, IGU, INQUA, ISPRS, IUGG, IUGS, IUSS and URSI, had its SC meeting in Paris and discussed, among others, ways to contribute to this initiative, and the idea of launching a webinar series of high-profile online lectures by eminent scientists emerged. The call for nomination of possible speakers was made to the member unions swiftly, while the proposal of the “Distinguished Lecture Series on Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development” was sent to the ISC. The proposal was welcomed by the ISC, and the first three lectures using ISC online platform have been scheduled in February, March and April 2023.
The National Committee for the IGU, which is also the IGU Committee of Science Council of Japan, works closely with the IGU, JOGS (Japan Organization of Geographical Sciences), and IYBSSD Committee of Science Council of Japan, and the information above is shared in the IGU community and beyond, and a network of networks for IYBSSD appears to be emerging in Japan.