COPing mechanisms or viable green solutions?

Accelerating Sustainability Transitions Post COP26
Next Einstein Forum
23 February 2022 | 14:00-15:30 CET
ONLINE

This webinar is a joint collaboration BY Next Einstein Forum and Stockholms Akademiska Forum.

From 2022 Stockholm Explorative Talks BY is launched which are webinars organized in co-operation with academic institutions from all over the globe. First out is Next Einstein Forum; a platform that connects science, society and policy in Africa and the rest of the world.

Summary about the topic

COP26 is calling for deep decarbonisation which will mean the need for revised policies that can accelerate sustainability transitions while addressing the subject of ‘green premiums’ on the required green technologies. One potential avenue for encouraging green transitions could be the emerging concept of Green New Deals, where the evolution of the concept will be presented, and which needs to be contextualised for local fabrics. Of equal importance is the need to ensure that knowledge gaps between the Global North and South are filled so as to cater for an inclusive and equitable global transition.

How can we accelerate sustainability transitions? How to satisfy short term political targets, while working towards longer term milestones? How to structure participatory planning policies when immediate urgent actions are required? How do we drive change, while increasing the liveability of our cities?

Explorer

The academic who leads the exploration and sets the tone of the discussion.

Photo of Natasia Kalajdziovski

Zaheer Allam
Sustainable Cities
Urban Strategist and Consultant, Mauritius

Zaheer Allam researches in the transdisciplinary fields of Sustainable Futures, formulation of Sustainability Policies, and Urban Socioeconomic Regeneration. His work explores the theme of increasing urban livability through the integration of technologies, and a multitude of environmental, economic, and cultural strategies, which lead to enhanced governance and improved decision-making – without compromising on resilience. His work has been extensively published, and adopted at both policy and legislative levels.

Allam works as an Urban Strategist for the Port Louis Development Initiative (PLDI), the Global Creative Leadership Initiative, and consults on various Smart City projects across Africa.

He is also the African representative of the International Society of Biourbanism (ISB), a member of the Advisory Circle of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), and many other international bodies. In recognition of his contributions, he has been honored with numerous awards including the order of Merit in Mauritius, selection on ‘40 Under 40’ of the Urban Land Institute, election as Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and enlisted on the ‘Top 100 Most Influential Urbanists’ by Planetizen.

Allam is a Research Associate at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and The Live+Smart Research Lab at Deakin University. He holds a PhD and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Architectural Science from Curtin University, and an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University.

Co-Explorers

The fellow academics who are from different disciplines. They explore the topic from various perspectives and make the discussion interdisciplinary.

Photo of Niv David

Dikabo Mogopodi
Analytical Chemistry
University of Botswana, Botswana

Dikabo Mogopodi has a PhD in Analytical Chemistry and teaches at the University of Botswana. Her academic interests are in the areas of analyzing preventive strategies for mycotoxin formation, food security (with focus on indigenous plants and food safety), nanomaterials, chemical management, and water management. She has previously held faculty positions at various research institutions such as –  Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), Botswana Geoscience Institute, and National Food Technology Research Centre.

An alumna of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mogopodi serves as a board member for the Botswana Academy of Sciences (BAS), where she has been the principal investigator for a project on advancing women’s participation in science communication. She is also the founding Secretary General for the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World – Botswana chapter (OWSD-BW).

Photo of Yazid Merar

Yazid Merar
Information and Communication Technologies for Education
University of Bejaia, Algeria

Yazid Merar has an academic background in information and communication technologies for education. His research focuses on devising new approaches to information and communication systems, which contribute to human rights and peace-building efforts. He is an independent researcher at the National Education Association, and a trainer at the University of Bejaia, Algeria.

A former Advisory Member of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme for 2017, Merar was also an Ambassador for Algeria at the World Literacy Foundation. Apart from monitoring several social projects related to education, sustainable development, and literacy, Merar’s work encompasses issues concerning the youth in Algeria and the Maghreb in general.

Eva Bojner Horwitz

Eva Bojner Horwitz
Music and Health
Royal College of Music in Stockholm and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Eva Bojner Horwitz is Professor of Music and Health at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH) and researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet. She is Associate Professor in social medicine, cultural health researcher, specialized in psychosomatic medicine and the creative arts; co-founder of the Center for Social Sustainability (CSS), KI.

She is anchored in interdisciplinary research, has doctoral students, and has authored scientific articles and books. She is known internationally for her implementation of music and cultural activities in health care and school systems, for evaluation with video interpretation technique (VIT), combining quantitative (stress hormone analyses, heart rate variability, flow measurement) with qualitative research. Her research focuses on music and health, health-arts-sustainability (HeArtS), contemplative inquiries, nature-related activities and health, creative arts and learning, music in end-of-life situations and much more.

Photo of Justina Adwoa Onumah

Justina Adwoa Onumah
Agricultural Economics
Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI), Ghana

Justina Adwoa Onumah is a Senior Research Scientist and an Agricultural Development Economist at the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana. Her diverse research interests are in the areas of impact assessment, research-policy-industry linkages, welfare dynamics of innovations, innovation system interactions, smallholder adaptation/resilience, climate policies, food security, poverty/welfare analysis, technology transfer, and science policy. She is also a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Ghana.

Alongside her academic interests, Onumah is passionate about mentorship and advocacy to further scientific action. This has led her to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Knowledge and Research Management (PACKS Africa),  a former member of the Ghana Environment and Climate Policy Action Node (GECPAN), and a mentor for the Karpowership Ghana Girl Power Programme.

About Stockholm Explorative Talks

Stockholm Explorative Talks is a stage for academic discussions confronting global problems with an interdisciplinary approach, by pairing unlikely academics together. Stockholm Explorative Talks welcomes experts from all over the world for a dialogue best described as dedicated, courageous and surprising. The aim is to gather the world’s brightest brains to examine current issues from new angles, and to find creative solutions to common future challenges.

Stockholm Explorative Talks is founded and run by Stockholms Akademiska Forum – 18 universities and the City of Stockholm.