WHY?

We have less than 10 years to transform our world, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At this conference, you will have an opportunity to learn, share, and discuss what the research community in Gothenburg can bring to the table to advance the role of science in the UN Decade of Action. *

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*The Decade of Action was declared by the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres in September 2019 and calls for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges — ranging from poverty and gender to climate change, inequality and closing the finance gap.
Read more here

FOR WHOM

The conference is primarily aimed at researchers associated with Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg. However, we also welcome other researchers and stakeholders who want to learn more about and strengthen their contacts with the research community in Gothenburg.

WHEN & HOW

November 18 - 19, 2020  at 8.30-12.15

The conference will be digital

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In addition to the main conference , related events will be organized by Gothenburg Air and Climate Network (GAC) on November 24 and by Global Sustainable Futures (GSF)  on November 25.

Registration is closed

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Contact main organizer Caroline Petersson if you want to attend but forgot to register.
See contact info below.

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Katherine is professor in Biological Oceanography, leader of Sustainability Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the UN-report the Future is Now - Science for achieving sustainable development . At Act Sustainable Research Conference she will talk more about the report and the role of science for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Gabriel

Wikström

Gabriel is the Swedish national coordinator for the 2030 Agenda, and former Minister with responsibility for public health and health care issues. At this conference he will talk about the Swedish implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and how researchers and research institutions can contribute in this work.

Haileselassie is country director for Ethiopia at World Resources Institute and previously worked as the Director of Institutional Development and Senior Research Fellow at the Environment for Development (EfD) in Sweden. At this conference he will give some perspectives on the role of international research collaboration for achieving sustainable development.

Christian is professor in Energy and environment at Chalmers University of Technology. He has acted as policy advisor to two Swedish Prime Ministers, to all Swedish environment ministers between 2002 and 2014, and to the EU commissioner for the Environment Margot Wallström.  He will contribute to this conference with a talk about the role of science versus politics in the climate conversation.

Merritt 

Polk

Merritt is professor in Human Ecology and head of department at the School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg. She has worked as head of the development of a transdisciplinary methodology for joint knowledge production and capacity building between universities, private, semi-private and public organizations and will talk about the role of transdisciplinary co-production for sustainable urban development

Anna 

Jöborn

Anna is the chief executive director  at the research founder Mistra and a former director of the Science Affairs Department at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. She has a PhD in microbiology and is a construction engineering graduate. At this conference she is going to talk about the role and opportunity of Mistra in funding research and innovation that support the transition to a more sustainable  development.

Jan is the director of Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV and Professor at the Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg. Jan will open up this conference with an introductory speech.

Six thematic sessions

Strengthening human

wellbeing and capabilities

Shifting towards sustainable and just economies

Building sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition pattern

Achieving energy decarbonization with universal access to energy

Promoting sustainable urban and peri-urban development

Securing the global environmental commons

8.00 CHECK-IN & MINGLE

8.30 - 9.00 PLENARY SESSION

Keynote: The role and opportunity of Mistra in funding research and innovation that enables sustainable transitions.

• Anna Jöborn -  Chief executive director  at the research funder Mistra

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9.00 - 9.05 BREAK

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9.05 - 10.35 THEMATIC PARALLEL SESSIONS 4-6
Research presentations and group discussions

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4. Strengthening human well-being and capabilities

Moderator: Annica Kronsell, Professor, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg

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The patterns of knowledge use in planning conflicts, their implications for conflict analysis and resolution. The cases of the West Link Annedal tunnel and development of Frihamnen in Gothenburg, Sweden
Hannah Saldert, PhD student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg

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Social Sustainability within the digital design process of buildings (WIP).
Sanjay Somanath, PhD student, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology

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Probing alignment of personal and organisational values for sustainability: An Assessment of Barrett’s Organisational Consciousness Model
Lindsay Berg, Postgraduate independent researcher, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology

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Organizing grassroots infrastructure for more inclusive and resilient cities: The (in)visible work of organizational ‘incompleteness’
María José Zapata Campos, Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration, University of Gothenburg

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5. Promoting sustainable urban and peri-urban development.

Moderator: Nils Björling, Senior lecturer, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology

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Fixing sustainability in a broken state: Recycling initiatives in the aftermath of the August 4 Beirut explosion
Hanna Leonardsson,  Researcher, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg

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Environmental Life Cycle Performance Optimisation of Buildings
Alexander Hollberg, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology

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The NordicPATH project in Scandinavia – exploring best practices in citizen engagement using Urban Living Labs
Karin Ekman, PhD student, Department of Applied Information Technology, University of Gothenburg and Sonja Grossberndt and Núria Castell , Researchers at Norwegian Institute for Air Research.

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The operational space of co-production of the city. The case of Haga station planning in the West Link railway infrastructure project.
Olga Stepanova, Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Global studies, University of Gothenburg

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6. Achieving energy decarbonization with universal access to energy
Moderator: Filip Johnsson,  Professor, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology

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Recasting the biofuel crisis: Fixing the forests through waste switching
Marie Widengård, PhD student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg

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Green Valleys: Economic and Environmental Impacts of Land Use Change to Support Development of Green Biorefineries
Sebnem Yilmaz Balaman, Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology

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Fossil exploration and the energy transition
Inge van den Bijgaart , Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg

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Emitter CO2 Recovery Liability – On the need for sustainable financing of negative CO2 emissions
Anders Lyngfelt,  Professor, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology

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10.35 - 10.55 MINGLE & POSTER SESSION
Continuation of thematic sessions 4-6

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Theme 4:
 

Research collaboration in low-and-middle-income countries: Swedish-Rwandan collaboration in Kenya and Lebanon in Times of COVID-19
Jean Bosco Habyarimana University of Gothenburg

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Neuroplasticity practices for individual sustainability and resilience
Birgit Penzenstadler Chalmers University of Gothenburg

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Theme 6:

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Molecular Characterization of Emissions from a Residential Wood Burning Boiler
Xiangrui Kong, University of Gothenburg

Characterization, sources, and atmospheric transformation of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) at the new rural super-site of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), India
Harsh Raj Mishra, University of Gothenburg

Effect of NOx on Toluene SOA yield and optical properties
Kaylan Mitra, University of Gothenburg

Chemical characteristics of benzene oxidation products
Michael Priestley University of Gothenburg

10.55-11.00  BREAK

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11.00-12.15 PLENARY SESSION & WRAP UP

Keynote: The role of science versus politics in the climate conversation

• Christian Azar - Professor in Energy and Environment at Chalmers University of Technology

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Keynote: The role of transdisciplinary co-production for sustainable urban development

• Kerstin Hemström,  Project leader and PhD,  Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures (replaces Merritt Polk)

What can the research community in Gothenburg bring to the table, in the UN Decade of Action?

• Anna Dubois, First Vice President and Deputy CEO at Chalmers University of Technology

• Göran Landberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, responsible for issues regarding research at University of Gothenburg

• Group discussion and Q&A with Christian Azar, Merrit Polk, Anna Dubois , Göran Landberg and moderator Olof Drakenberg

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Concluding remarks

• Jan Pettersson, director of Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV

• Olof Drakenberg, conference moderator

Scientific committee

 We are proud to present the members of the scientific committee that has evaluated all proposals and put together a program for thematic sessions based on the entry points.

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• Chair: Johan Mellqvist, Department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers and coordinator for Gothenburg Air and Climate Network, GAC

• Frida Boräng, Department of Political Studies at the University of Gothenburg and research fellow at the Quality of Government Institute (QoG)

• Olof Johansson Stenman, Department of Economics at the University of Gothenburg

• Gunilla Krantz, Institute of Medicine, at the University of Gothenburg

• Annica Kronsell, School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg

• Nils Björling, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers

• Filip Johnsson, Department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers

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Steering group

The conference is planned by a steering group, consisting of people representing several different research-oriented networks based at Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development.

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• Caroline Petersson, project manager, Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development (GMV)

• Olof Drakenberg, project manager, representing Global Sustainable Futures

• Jenni Strömstad, project manager, representing the SDG 8 initiative at the University of Gothenburg

• Johan Mellquist, researcher at Chalmers and coordinator for Gothenburg Air and Climate Network (GAC)

• Kerstin Hemström, Acting Platform leader, Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures
   

For questions, please contact main organizer of the conference, Caroline Petersson (caroline.petersson@chalmers.se)