What role do ecologists and ecological knowledge have in solving the abject problems of our times?

Monday 14.3 5:00-6:30 pm
University of Helsinki’s Think Corner (Yliopistonkatu 4, Helsinki) and remotely
SIGN UP FOR THIS EVENT

In the shadow of the current environmental crisis society needs to adapt quickly and have solutions at hand. The state, regions and companies all have to take the climate and biodiversity crisis into account and all sectors of society, from agriculture to construction, have to adapt to the environmental crisis. There is a need for research, so that we can make wise decisions and adapt to the changing environment and protect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this panel discussion we delve into the role that ecological knowledge plays in decision making now and also in the future.  

Minister of the Interior, Krista Mikkonen, professor Tomas Roslin (Research Centre for Ecological Change), executive Kaisa Hietala and a fourth panel member soon to be confirmed will join the panel. The conversation will be facilitated by Saara Kankaanrinta and there will be a brief introduction by the Finnish Environmental Institute’s director Leif Schulman.
 

The discussion will address:

• What role do ecologists and ecological knowledge have in solving the abject problems of our times?
• What role does ecological knowledge play in the decision processes of private companies, as the environmental crisis forces them to consider the risks presented by climate change and the biodiversity crisis?
• How can a knowledge of ecology prepare decision makers to solve societal problems?
• How is ecological knowledge already being taken into account in industries ranging from agriculture to construction?
• What are the challenges and bottlenecks to making use of ecological knowledge?

The event is organized by The Forum for Environmental Information together with Oikos Finland. This Finnish language event is open to all and a recording will be made available afterwards. We are currently looking into possibilities for providing English subtitles for remote attendees during the event and a Finnish language sign-up page is already available here.

The Forum for Environmental Information is a bipartisan organization funded by the Nessling and Kone Foundations and aims to promote the use of environmental knowledge in societal decision making processes.

Oikos Finland is a society for ecologists within the Nordic Society Oikos, that provides a meeting place for ecologists and ecological research, supports young researchers and brings scientific knowledge to society. 

More information:
Marja Järvenpää (Forum for Environmental Information), marja.jarvenpaa@ymparistotiedonfoorumi.fi, tel. 050 355 6352
Peter Kullberg, (Oikos Finland), peter.kullberg@syke.fi , tel. +358 295 251 965