In 2015, United Nation members adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim “to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.” A lecture by Emeritus Professor Michael Barber AO, previous Vice-Chancellor of Flinders University, will discuss the role of science and technology in responding to these goals.
This free public lecture is hosted by Flinders University’s National Centre for Groundwater Training and Research.
Discussion points
- The connectivity between the goals that demands a system-wide perspective so synergies are enhanced and negative impacts mitigated.
- Whether this connectivity implies the world is technically a ‘complex system’ and whether planetary boundaries have significant implications for the achievement of the goals.
- How an enhanced focus on the expected outcomes of scientific projects can lead to alternative technological solutions and improved engagement with policy makers and other players.
- How the wide range of initiatives being stimulated by the SDGs by many organisations could be more effectively scaled up to efficient global responses.
Emeritus Professor Barber is a Council member of the Australian Academy of Science, and Chair of the National Computational Infrastructure. Since 2016 he has been a member of an expert panel convened by the InterAcademy Partnership to improve global science policy advice. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2018 for his contributions to higher education administration, mathematical physics and science policy reform.
Event details
When: Monday 26 November 2018, 2:00 – 3:00pm
Where: Flinders University, Victoria Square campus, 182 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA, Room 1, Level 1
Register: Register online