Category: News

The publication of the first findings of the sixth IPCC climate report coincided with the start of the Norwegian regional conference  Rosendalsveko (August 9^th – 11^th). For the young participants at the conference, the dire findings of the report and warnings of a “code red for the planet” came as no surprise.

The contrast from the beautiful natural surroundings by the Hardangerfjord in western Norway in full summer glory, to the warnings of the IPCC climate report, was keenly felt. The surrounding areas experience consequences such as the glacier melting now deemed unstoppable, of the nearby glacier Folgefonna.

New this year at the climate conference Rosendalsveko, are the additional sessions in the weekend leading up to the conference, in the form of a youth camp devoted to climate issues and interdisciplinary efforts for a greener future. Many participants here stayed for the main conference, creating extra awareness of the urgency of the issues. Central to this initial weekend of the conference, is the student organization “Om i morgen”, in English “About Tomorrow”.

Responsible utilization of the coastline

– We want to make sure that today’s solutions don’t become tomorrow’s problems. Sustainability issues are even more of a pressing area for the younger generations, says Silje Skjelsvik, founder of “About Tomorrow”.

As a climate scientist, she is not surprised that the findings of the sixth IPCC climate report paint an even bleaker picture of the health of the planet, with a connection between the increasing severity of natural disasters and temperature rise from human activity confirmed by the report.

Sigurd Melkenborg Salvesen was one of the participants at the youth camp who decided to stay for the whole conference.

– Rosendalsveko has proved to be a great meeting place for people to discuss sustainability issues. For me it was particularly interesting to follow the sessions on responsible utilization of the coastline in western Norway, as well as sessions looking at how interdisciplinarity can further sustainability efforts, Sigurd Melkenborg Salvesen says.

Like the rest of the group, he hopes that the youth camp leading up to the conference (to which the AE-Bergen Knowledge Hub is a contributor), will become a permanent fixture of the Rosendal Week.

Broad perspective on sustainability issues

For the young participants, it is important to have as broad a perspective as possible on sustainability issues.

– Some of the environmentally friendly solutions come at a cost. Today battery technology is one of the central alternatives to fossil fuels in the transport sector, but battery production can have a significant carbon footprint. If solar or wind energy is a viable alternative in the area of production, it should be utilised. Looking at all the alternatives with a broad perspective is necessary in finding tomorrows green solutions, Silje Skjelsvik says.

Situated in Rosendal by the Hardangerfjord in western Norway, the place itself serves as reminder of the value of nature and is thus an ideal place for a climate conference. Regional businesses help organize the event along with The Folgefonna outreach Centre, the Institute for Marine Research and the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. Several of the sessions touched on topics concerning interaction between business and academia to further sustainable solutions.

Årets Rosendalsveko (9. – 11. august), med overskriften «Klima, energi, næring og bærekraft på Vestlandet» ble avsluttet med en paneldebatt over temaet «Vestlandet i et globalt perspektiv», et tema som også sammenfatter mange av diskusjonene fra konferansen som helhet.

Den avsluttende debatten ble ledet av vitenskapelig leder i AE-Bergen, Eystein Jansen. Se opptak av paneldebatten her. Den aktuelle debatten starter ved 01.02.30 inn i opptaket.

– Vestlandet har gode forutsetninger for å ta en ledende rolle i det grønne skiftet, gjennom verdensledende forskningsmiljøer innen klima- og havforskning, vi har naturlige forutsetninger innen det marine og det maritime, og vi har levende industriklynger. Alt dette må bygges videre på dersom Vestlandet skal holde på sin posisjon, sa Eystein Jansen som innledning til debatten.

Panelet bestod av Silje Skjelsvik, gründer og initiativtaker til studentorganisasjonen «Om i morgen», Pinar Heggernes, prorektor ved UiB, Ole R. Øvretveit, daglig leder i tankesmien Initiativ Vest, og Tore Furevik, direktør ved Nansensenteret for miljø og fjernmåling.

Noen av hovedpunktene fra panelet:

Silje Skjelsvik: Vi må sørge for at dagens løsninger ikke blir morgendagens problemer. Da må vi flytte subsidier fra fossil energi og over til fornybar energi. Verden vil ikke klare å begrense den globale oppvarmingen til under 2 grader, om ikke Vestland klarer det. La oss se det grønne skiftet med mulighetsbrillene på.

Pinar Heggernes: Nye teknologier kan være gode verktøy på veien mot en grønnere fremtid, i en region som alltid har vært internasjonalt orientert og der næringslivet viser evne til endring. Våre forskere driver med langsiktig forskning og ser på de lange linjene. Universitetet i Bergen har kontaktnett inn mot de beste forskningsmiljøene internasjonalt, og det kan også næringslivet dra nytte av.

Ole R. Øvretveit: IPPC-rapporten, eller klimapanelets 6. hovedrapport, ble et utropstegn som viser at verden har dårlig tid. Oljeavhengigheten vår hemmer omstillingen. Verdens kapitalmarkeder blir stadig mer skeptiske til olje- og gass som investeringsobjekt. Oljeavhengigheten gir ikke bare et klimaproblem, men blir i økende grad også en økonomisk risiko. Omstillingen vil koste, også politisk. Vi har likevel gode kort på hånden, gjennom sterke teknologimiljøer og høy bærekrafts-kompetanse.

Tore Furevik: Et sentralt element for å få til det grønne skiftet er gode rammevilkår. Regionen vår har massevis av kompetanse, men denne benyttes i altfor stor grad til oljerelatert virksomhet. Fjorårets oljeskattepakke, og det at forskningsmidler fortsatt går til petroleumsforskning, bidrar til å binde opp de gode hodene i oljevirksomhet heller enn i omstilling. Jeg tror ikke på at begreper som flyskam, kjøttskam og dieselskam vil redde klimaet, slike begreper gir kun polarisering og støy. Samtidig må det bli dyrere å forurense, og det må bli enklere å leve miljøvennlig.

 

Rosendalsveko går av stabelen for andre gang 9. – 11. august, med «Klima, energi, næring og bærekraft på Vestlandet» som hovedtema. I år er arrangementet utvidet med Rosendalshelga i forkant av uken.

– Det vi så i fjor, var at noen av de mest spennende diskusjonene kom når studenter utfordret politikere, næringsliv og akademikere. Derfor legger vi i år opp til en helg for studentene i forkant av uken, i samarbeid med studentorganisasjonen Om i morgen.

Temaene de jobber med i helgen vil de øvrige deltakerne bli utfordret på under første dag av Rosendalsveko, forklarer programkomiteens Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu (til daglig klimaforsker ved UiB/Bjerknes).

Studentorganisasjonen Om i morgen har selv lagt opp programmet for Rosendalshelga. Tema for workshop’en lørdag er «Hvordan kan vi best utnytte den lange kystlinjen vår?» (kan bli endret). Dette skal resultere i konkrete løsningsforslag.

Både Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub (AE-Bergen) og UiB er bidragsytere til Rosendalsveko. Bidraget fra AE-Bergen går spesifikt til Rosendalshelga og deltakelse for studentene fra Om i morgen.

Studentene vil utfordre

– Jeg er overbevist om at når studentene har jobbet med tema rundt det grønne skiftet i helgen, så vil de finne gode problemstillinger som utfordrer politikere, næringsliv og akademikere, legger Kerim Hestnes til.

– Et av temaene våre er «Lykkes Vestlandet – lykkes Norge». Jeg mener virkelig at ressursene og aktiviteten på Vestlandet tilsier at det faktisk er slik om Vestlandet lykkes, så lykkes Norge. Dersom vi finner de bærekraftige løsningene så vil vår tilgang på kraft og ressurser gjøre at vi kan lede an i det grønne skiftet.

– At Rosendalsveko retter seg mot både politikere, næringsliv og akademia gjør at det kan ligge et godt kunnskapsgrunnlag bak våre løsningsforslag, og det trenger vi studentene til å hjelpe oss med, sier Kerim Hestnes.

Panelsamtalen «Vestlandet i et globalt perspektiv» blir moderert av vitenskapelig leder i AE-Bergen, Eystein Jansen. Blant paneldeltakerne er Margareth Hagen, rektor ved UiB. Debatten foregår på avsluttende dag av Rosendalsveko, onsdag 11. august.

Studentorganisasjonen Om i morgen ble startet i 2019 ved mat-nat fakultetet ved UiB, med studenter på klima, atmosfære og havfysikk som initiativtakere. Etter hvert har medlemsmassen blitt mye mer tverrfaglig. Nå er det også studenter fra blant annet sammenliknende politikk, psykologi, juss og økonomi i tillegg til naturvitenskapelige fagfelt med i Om i morgen.

Liv Svenningsson Krogstad og Tilda Totland Persson i Om i morgen mener at tverrfagligheten har blitt en styrke for organisasjonen.

– Tverrfaglighet gir oss mulighet til å jobbe hverandre gode på områder man kanskje ikke er så godt kjent med i utgangspunktet. Det gjør at vi får inn ulike meninger og bakgrunner som vi kan ta med i videre arbeid. Den viktigste kilden til erfaring og læring er å delta i organisasjoner som jobber med det du engasjerer deg i, sier Tilda Totland Persson.

Medlemmene i Om i morgen har selv lagt opp programmet for Rosendalshelga.

– Vi har lagt vekt på at deltakerne skal lære noe og dra fra Rosendal med kunnskap og ideer, samt utfordre seg selv til å finne løsninger på klimautfordringer. Vi synes også det er viktig at deltakerne har det kjekt sosialt, og får tid til å bli kjent med hverandre og knytte nettverk. Programmet består blant annet av innlegg fra Renate Nedregård (ny leder i Klimapartnere Vestland) og Kerim Hestnes Nisancioglu, forklarer Liv og Tilda.

De tror at mange av ungdommene fra helge-campen vil få med seg flere av arrangementene også når selve Rosendalsveko begynner på mandagen.  

The SAPEA report “A systemic approach to the energy transition in Europe” suggests several possible pathways towards a carbon-neutral future. However, the SAPEA evidence review report concludes that achieving carbon-neutrality by 2050 will require urgent action.

Coinciding with the report, the corresponding Scientific Opinion of the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors has also been published.

The report points to six main themes to be addressed:

Technological diversity: Huge global investments in technology will be needed in the coming decades. But in general it is often difficult to predict the winning technologies of the future. So, rather than searching for a single silver bullet, Europe must develop and deploy a broad range of technologies while maintaining common, EU-wide goals. This is important not only to create a dynamic and flexible energy system, but also because different countries in Europe have different structures and needs.

Managing deep complexity: We must find new ways to balance supply and demand in a complex energy system that includes variable sources such as solar and wind power. Electrification, new infrastructure, energy efficiency, demand management, and innovative uses of data can all help to manage this complexity. For hard-to-decarbonise sectors, such as long distance transport and heavy industry, there are alternatives to direct electrification, such as green hydrogen fuels.

Governance and regulation: We need a strong carbon pricing mechanism as part of a mixture of regulatory measures and incentives. The existing European Emissions Trading System should be extended to all relevant sectors, including transport and heating/cooling, and political leaders should commit to very high carbon prices by the middle of the century, reflecting the full environmental impact of greenhouse gases. Revenues raised in this way should be used to support a fair transition, to ensure that no-one is left behind.

Behaviour and participation: Facilitating public behaviour and action at multiple levels is just as important as developing new technologies. In the energy system of the future, actions at individual, household, local and regional levels will play a central role in supporting energy generation and shifting patterns of use.

Global leadership: The EU is well placed to take a global lead in reducing emissions in a way that is economically efficient and socially equitable, while maintaining competitiveness. Europe must strengthen its diplomatic efforts to ensure that the Paris Agreement is followed by everyone, and to account for the emissions which are generated by goods imported into Europe. Reciprocal commitments from other countries will be more effective than overachieving in Europe alone.

Supply chain security: We must manage the global supply of materials needed to support clean energy technologies. Our dependency on imported fuels will decrease as we transition to green energy, but we must actively promote innovation, development and circular economy within Europe, or else we will end up with new dependencies on the imported materials that we need.

Within SAPEA, the lead academy delivering the Evidence Review Report was Euro-CASE. However, from Academia Europaea, Andreas Löschel of the University of Münster, Germany contributed in the working group.

View or download the report here.

Maria Leptin was appointed President of the European Research Council (ERC) by the European Commission on June 30th.

Professor Maria Leptin is a highly respected scientist working on developmental biology and immunology. She leads research groups at the Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), in Heidelberg. In 2010, she was appointed Director of EMBO, the European Commission states in a press release on the occasion of Leptins appointment.

The ERC Scientific Council also congratulate Maria Leptin in a press release:

We look forward to working together on the continued success of the ERC, Europe’s leading instrument for funding excellent frontier research.

The appointment of Maria Leptin is the outcome of a rigorous selection process, in which an independent Search Committee evaluated thoroughly all applications and nominations received, and prepared a short list of candidates for the position. The finalists were interviewed by the ERC Scientific Council, which informed Commissioner Mariya Gabriel of the ones it approved. The Commissioner then made the final decision, as the procedure stipulates.

We wholeheartedly support the outcome of the process, and welcome Maria Leptin as the next leader of our unique organisation. Her strong scientific and managerial backgrounds, her long-term involvement with European issues, her pioneering role in the scientific community and her familiarity with European institutions are all highly appreciated.

Her strong leadership will be essential in ensuring that frontier research continues to play a central role in the Horizon Europe framework programme, and that the ERC makes good use of its autonomy, as guaranteed by the legislative texts. Strict adherence to the bottom-up principle, leaving the full initiative to researchers, as well as using scientific quality and the pursuit of excellence as the sole criterion for the selection of proposals, will remain the cornerstones of the ERC’s mission.

Here is  the full ERC Scientific Council statement.

Dear AE members, colleagues and friends,

Another semester has passed. While the prospects for the next semester are promising, we are not yet at the point where we can plan for normal activities. And what are normal activities? The pandemic will have a lasting impact on Academic life and the operations of academies such as ours. The next semester will likely see us moving into some more physical meetings and events.

This is good, but we will also bring with us new skills in organising meetings and webinars online. This can reduce our carbon footprint, and open our events to audiences we hitherto have not reached with our activities. This will provide opportunities for stronger interactions with members and stakeholders in the Nordic/Baltic region. There will be a phase of trying out how to balance physical and online activities, and we would much appreciate feedback and ideas on this matter as we move into the post-COVID time.

Despite the pandemic restrictions we have had an active semester, as you will see elsewhere in this newsletter and on our website. To name some: We took active part in the Arctic Frontiers conference, where we organized a well-attended online event in April together with Pacific Environment and the University of Bergen on: Arctic Marine Operations and Shipping – Green initiatives and challenges. On the initiative of the Norwegian Embassy in Tallin, we co-organised an online seminar with the Estonian Academy of Sciences: The changing Arctic, on Arctic Research in Norway and Estonia, primarily comprising young scholars. This will be followed up by collaborative workshops later this year.

Late last year the EU Parliament and the EU Council and Commission finally came to an agreement on the 7-year financial framework for the Horizon Europe Programme. To the European Research community this was a relief, but it was also disappointing to see that the initial proposals for a strong budget for Pillar 1 which funds the ERC and the MSCA were cut significantly, thus regrettably lowering the ambitions for basic research. A strong mobilisation from many actors within the European science community, where AE and our Hub were very active, balanced this to some extent, and the end result was better than feared.

Yet this experience underscores the need for a strong and continued campaign for the necessity of Europe significantly raising its ambitions for Frontier Research. This is crucial if the aims for Europe to become the most innovative continent are to be realistic. The Pandemic clearly exemplifies how important investigator-driven Frontier Research is for our capacity to tackle the great challenges of our time, where the best minds can develop and follow their ideas. This will be an important task for the Hub when implementing our new Strategic Plan which you will find links to on our website and elsewhere in this newsletter.

Our Strategic Plan was recently approved by our Advisory Board and will guide our new initiatives and activities. Our Advisory Board is undergoing some changes: Professor Margareth Hagen, rector of the University of Bergen (UiB) has this spring taken over the Board Chair position from Professor Dag Rune Olsen (previous UiB-rector). Professor Marja Makarow leaves our Board as she takes over as president of Academia Europaea. She is replaced by Professor Carl Gahmberg, Chancellor of Åbo Akademi University. In addition, we are happy to include a new Danish member to our Board; Professor Kirsten Drotner of the University of Southern Denmark.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have the new members help in further developing our Hub, and also for the commitments from Dag Rune and Marja for their contributions and engagements for the Hub. I look forward to continuing close collaboration with Marja in her role as new AE President, and also with Dag Rune Olsen taking on as the new rector at the University of Tromsø.

The Horizon Europe Work Programme was finally launched this week. The programme includes funding for the next phase of the SAPEA project, part of the Commission’s Scientific Advise Mechanism to develop evidence reports in support of knowledge-based policy development in the European Union. The Bergen Hub will take formal part in the next face of SAPEA under the lead of the Cardiff Hub, a job we really look forward to! The Hub will further develop its role within the network of AE Hubs where increased interactions are planned between the Hubs. But more on this later! Hence, there will be more to do, and the new agreement between AE and the University of Bergen which was recently signed gives our Hub a secure foundation for the coming 4-yars period.

Meanwhile I wish all of you a splendid, safe and relaxed summer!

Eystein

 

Following her election as new Rector of the University of Bergen, Margareth Hagen is the new chair of the Hub´s Adisory Board. We also welcome 2 additional new members to our Advisory Board.

Only 2 days earlier, on May 25th, rector Margareth Hagen signed a renewed contract between Academia Europaea and UiB. The contract states that UiB will continue to host and facilitate the Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub for the next 4 years.

— I look very much forward to take on the role as chair of the Advisory Board of the AE-Bergen Hub. The Hub’s focus on sustainability issues, marine and arctic topics aligns very well with the strategic plan of the University of Bergen, rector Margareth Hagen said during the digital contract signing ceremony.

— In these strategically important areas, as well as other areas, I see potential for synergies both between different research disciplines, between our institution and other hubs, and with the Academia Europaea at large, she added.

As Margareth Hagen joins the Advisory Board of the AE-Bergen Hub as chair, she is also joined by two other new board members, namely Prof. Kirsten Drotner of the University of Southern Denmark and Prof. emer. Carl G. Gahmberg of the University of Helsinki, Finland. In addition to securing representation for all Nordic countries in the Advisory Board, the new members also provide expertise in the fields of media (Drotner), and molecular and integrative biosciences (Gahmberg).

Margareth Hagen replaces former rector of UiB, Dag Rune Olsen, as chair of the Advisory Board. Other outgoing members are Prof. Marja Makarow, director of Biocenter Finland. The AE-Bergen Knowledge Hub wishes to thank our outgoing Advisory Board members for their excellent contributions.

Arctic Frontiers Science 2022 will take place on 31 January – 3 February 2022, and is now calling for abstracts from scientists with projects connected to the Arctic.

 

Arctic Frontiers will host five science sessions, described in detail here. As a partner of the Arctic Frontiers Conference, the AE-Bergen Hub can cover expenses for 2-3 scientists/scholars or students who want to participate the Arctic Frontiers Conference 2022. Application details will be available in early autumn.

Arctic Frontiers Science conference is traditionally international and multidisciplinary, bringing together social sciences, humanities, physical and life sciences. The Arctic Frontiers Science is focusing on both fundamental and solution-oriented research with strong impact, which addresses growing societal challenges and needs in the Arctic region. Arctic Frontiers Science is developed with the guidance of the Strategic Science Committee of Arctic Frontiers.

The abstract submission system will be open on the Arctic Frontiers website later this month. The abstract submission deadline is 1 September 2021. Further updates and information will be published on this page.

 

The annual report of the Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub for 2020 is now available to download from our website. The report shows an active year, despite Covid restrictions. The AE-Bergen Hub participated in 7 live events before the pandemic, and 1 live event (Rosendal Week) during the relative easing of restrictions in August.

The Hub also participated in several digital events during 2020.

Several organisational developments took place, such as the establishment of a not-for-profit- company to be able to organise and coordinate activities e.g., for project management within Horizon Europe. Our nomination of Rebecca Cox to the SAM (Scientific Advice Mechanism) expert group on ‘How can Europe ensure adequate management of and better preparedness for future epidemics and pandemics in the global context?’ resulted in her participation as expert consultant for the report commissioned by the EU.

The AE-Bergen Hub annual report will also give indications of the key elements in our soon-to-be-finalised Strategy Plan.

You can view or download the annual report here.