idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instanz:
Teilen: 
05.06.2020 20:58

Dresden Nexus Conference 2020: Urgent Societal Questions Cannot Wait

Heike Hensel Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung e. V.

    How can the sustainable use of environmental resources be better achieved through principles of circular economy and what role does the Nexus Approach play? This question discussed people from all over the world from 3 to 5 June at the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC2020). Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, DNC2020 was held entirely in virtual form. This did not dampen the interest: More than 1,000 people from around 100 countries registered for the conference. The eDNC2020 was jointly organised by the United Nations University (UNU-FLORES), the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), and the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD).

    With the signing of the Declaration of the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC2020), the third Dresden Nexus Conference ended today. The signatories include the Saxon State Minister of Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture, Wolfram Günther, and the three organisers of the DNC2020 – Prof. Edeltraud Guenther, Director of UNU-FLORES, Prof. Marc Wolfram, Director of IOER, and Prof. Lars Bernard, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences of TUD. Together they want to stimulate a scientific and political debate on core issues of the circular economy. In the declaration, they make clear which thematic priorities are particularly important for the systematic development of new approaches and the transition to a circular economy. In addition to the political debate on the challenges of sustainable development, these include technical, economic, and social issues as well as the integrated management of environmental resources, as envisaged by the Nexus Approach.

    From classic conference format to virtual event

    Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the organisers were faced with a crucial question at the end of March: Should the conference be postponed by one year or even longer? “We realised soon enough that this was not an option. The societal challenges that we wanted to discuss with people all over the world simply would not allow for any postponement. This urgency may be increased by the pandemic, but crises stimulate innovation,” says Edeltraud Guenther of UNU-FLORES. In just a few weeks, a virtual format was thus developed from the classic on-site conference. “We have to thank everyone involved in DNC2020 - the keynote speakers as well as all conveners and contributors in the 13 sessions and the side events. It is unbelievable with how much commitment everyone contributed to transforming the DNC2020 into a virtual event,” says Lars Bernard from the Technische Universität Dresden.

    The five keynote speeches made clear how important it is to face the challenges of a changing world now. They focused on various aspects of the circular economy and the integrated management of environmental resources (Nexus Approach) as well as on the question of how both approaches can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

    “It has become very clear that the DNC provides a unique opportunity for an international exchange on the state of the art regarding the Nexus Approach. The conference has once again underlined the crucial relevance of the nexus for shaping just sustainability transformations. Through further deepening inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations, effective support for societal decision making can increasingly be offered at all levels,” says Marc Wolfram from the IOER at the end of the conference.

    The organisers’ outlook at the end of the DNC2020 clearly shows: After the conference is before the conference. Science and practice will continue to work together on important challenges regarding the Nexus Approach and questions of circular economy. In the coming weeks and months, the organising institutions of the DNC2020 will be publishing various special issues on topics of the conference. In addition, a photo and video contest on the topic of “Circular Economy in a Sustainable Society” is planned. Those who want to stay informed can subscribe to the DNC newsletter. The next Dresden Nexus Conference will take place in 2022 - probably again on site in Dresden.


    Weitere Informationen:

    https://2020.dresden-nexus-conference.org/ - DNC2020 website
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGxFClTgS0VahIbFZTtMSEQ - Link to the DNC YouTube channel
    https://www.ioer.de/fileadmin/internet/Oeffentlichkeitsarbeit/Pressemitteilungen... - Link to the DNC Declaration (in German)


    Bilder

    Logo of the DNC2020
    Logo of the DNC2020

    (Source: UNU-FLORES)


    Anhang
    attachment icon Press Release (PDF)

    Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
    Journalisten, Studierende, Wirtschaftsvertreter, Wissenschaftler
    Bauwesen / Architektur, Gesellschaft, Tier / Land / Forst, Umwelt / Ökologie, Wirtschaft
    überregional
    Wissenschaftliche Tagungen
    Englisch


     

    Logo of the DNC2020


    Zum Download

    x

    Hilfe

    Die Suche / Erweiterte Suche im idw-Archiv
    Verknüpfungen

    Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.

    Klammern

    Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).

    Wortgruppen

    Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.

    Auswahlkriterien

    Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).

    Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).