2021 was yet another year of uncertainty, with many changes and disruptions to our plans, activities, and goals. EGU’s science for policy programme was no exception to this with the Science for Policy Pairing Scheme and annual Science for Policy Event taking a back seat. We hope that 2022 will not only bring new activities but also rekindle those that were put on hold as a result of the pandemic. This blog post will kick-off the New Year by outlining a few of the key science for policy activities that you can look forward to in the next 12 months.
Establishing EGU’s Biodiversity Task Force
Our first science for policy mission in 2022 will be to establish EGU’s Biodiversity Task Force! In late 2021, Biodiversity was selected by the EGU Council as the EGU’s 2022-24 Policy Priority Area. This will enable the EGU to concentrate on a key area that is relevant for both policy and the geosciences, and therefore meaningfully contribute to specific EU policies. The EGU’s Biodiversity Task Force will oversee EGU’s biodiversity-related activities. We’re looking forward to establishing the group later this month and supporting the first few meetings and activities. However, it is likely that we’ll need additional expertise as the Task Force’s work progresses, so keep your eyes on the policy section of EGU’s website if you’re interested in getting involved!
Science for policy sessions at #EGU22
EGU22 is being planned as a hybrid event, with options for online and in-person vPICO sessions, in-person poster and oral presentations, and interactive display pre-uploads available for every participant! As always, EGU22 will host sessions on a myriad of scientific topics as well as sessions on broader themes that can be applied to a range of scientific divisions, jobs and industries – including science for policy! Science for policy related sessions span EGU22’s Union Symposia, Great Debates, Short Courses, and scientific sessions including as Research, services and policy: exploring the role of the hydrologists, Towards a net-zero world: remaining carbon budgets, mitigation pathways, zero emissions commitment, and implications for policy, and Soil science research to meet the needs of policy and industry. Make sure to add a few of these to your EGU22 schedule and, if you’re already working at the interface of science and policy, consider submitting an abstract to one of them before the deadline on 12 January 2022, 13:00 CET!
The EGU’s Science for Policy Working Group: a call for new members
Established in January 2021, the EGU’s Science for Policy Working Group aims to promote greater collaboration between the geoscientific community and policymakers, highlight policy-relevant outputs from EGU scientists, and support evidence-informed policy. The Working Group will be looking to add some new members to its ranks in the first half of 2022 to support the growing number EGU #scipol activities and ambitions!
Science for policy updates
The EGU will continue to provide science for policy updates throughout 2022. The EGU policy news page summarises recent EU policy news and opportunities that are relevant to geoscientists including recently passed legislation, reports, EU funding opportunities and EU Commission consultations. This page also contains all the published Science for Policy Newsletters to date. These Newsletters are sent out monthly and contain EU policy news, events, initiatives, EGU activities, and other opportunities to get involved with the policymaking process. EGU also shares policy-relevant papers published in EGU’s open access journals that may be of interest to policymakers and other stakeholders looking for scientific input on a particular subject.
Re-establishing the EGU’s science for policy event and pairing scheme
Unfortunately, both the annual science for policy event and science-policy pairing scheme had to take a backseat in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. While this provided us with the capacity to create some new, exciting #scipol initiatives (such as the Biodiversity Policy Priority Area and Task Force), we know that it was disappointing for those who were interested in applying. We are really hoping that 2022 will see the return of these physical events. Both initiatives are likely to be held in September/October and more information about how you can get involved will be provided in May 2022.
More information about all of these initiatives will be provided throughout 2022 via the policy section of EGU’s website, EGU’s monthly Science for Policy Newsletter, during the EGU22 science for policy sessions, and on the GeoPolicy blog. We’re always looking for more ways to help our members engage with the science-policy interface! If you have a science for policy idea or activity that you would like the EGU to engage with in 2022, please don’t hesitate to let us know or give us feedback via policy@egu.eu.
