Symposium on Future Asia begins

The 2-day International Symposium on Future Asia began today, 13 December 2012, at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. The theme of the symposium is Bridging Science, Technology and Society: Practices of Transdisciplinary Implementation on Sustainability and Environmental Change in Future Asia. In his opening remarks, the Director of RIHN informed participants that the purpose of the symposium is to focus Asian particularities to with regard to the implementation of global change programmes and how this relates to the new ICSU-led initiative on Future Earth. He stressed the "futurability" of the GEC projects will depend on the ability of the GEC programme to connect with national and global research frameworks. The President of ICSU who is also attending the symposium once again stressed that what Asia decides to do in the next decade will make or break global sustainability. Hence, in his view, Future Earth has special relevance to Asia