SUNY Convenes International Environmental Change Experts, Scientists
September 24, 2014
Albany – The State University of New York today hosted a “Future Earth Forum” at the Global Center in New York City, bringing together some of the world’s top researchers and policy makers in finance, business, re-insurance, foundations, United Nations bodies, and media around the topic of environmental change and the sustainability challenges that lie ahead.
Today’s forum is intended to be the first in an annual international series aimed at convening diverse stakeholders to foster dialogue and build partnerships to tackle critical issues related to global environmental change. SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher and Dr. Timothy Killeen, SUNY vice chancellor for research and president of the Research Foundation for SUNY, hosted the event, which was attended by nearly 50 high-level executives from around the world.
“Future Earth will be an important catalyst for connecting the knowledge of experts and key stakeholders around the globe to intensify research and identify new, innovative ways to make our world more environmentally sustainable for future generations,” said Chancellor Zimpher. “SUNY is proud to host to the organization’s first global forum and we look forward to being a part of Future Earth’s continued development.”
“Faculty and students across SUNY campuses are conducting cutting edge research and development spanning sustainability, climate modeling, agricultural innovation, and renewable energy technologies,” said Dr. Killeen. “We are well positioned to connect globally within the Future Earth community to advance sustainability science and research. “
Future Earth is a global research platform providing the knowledge and support to accelerate our transformations to a sustainable world. At the 2014 forum, participants were introduced to Future Earth, its vision and history, and began building the partnerships and networks required to co-design the Future Earth research agenda and deliver a step-change in making science responsive to the needs of society.
The forum immediately follows the United Nations as Climate Summit 2014, at which world leaders from government, finance, business, and civil society met to discuss climate change and action.
Organizers of the Forum are the Science and Technology Alliance for Global Sustainability, comprising the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the Belmont Forum of funding agencies, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations University (UNU), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as an observer.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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