"Our future well-being depends on taking actions now for conservation and environmental sustainability. If we lack the leadership from the top, then we must have leadership from below."
These words from Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics and keynote speaker at the first Alcoa Foundation Advancing Sustainability Conference, capture the essence of the foundation's global effort to address the serious and challenging sustainability issues facing the world today.
More than 140 current and future leaders in the field of conservation and sustainability gathered in Brussels, Belgium, from November 29 to December 3, 2006.
Building a Global Network
The first worldwide conference convened the program's academic partners, sustainability institutes, fellows, and internal and external advisors with representatives from business, government, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The invitation-only event marked the launch of a global network of future leaders and premier institutions-called the Alcoa Foundation Global Conservation & Sustainability Network-to leverage research and share innovative and interdisciplinary work in conservation and sustainability. In an intensive three days, participants learned details of the research being carried out by those involved with this program and explored new opportunities for collaboration on priority issues of climate change, conservation, and sustainability, including water.
"It was an exciting opportunity that, for the first time, brought together the best young minds-the future leaders in sustainability-with the leaders and decision makers of today into a single network," said Meg McDonald, president of Alcoa Foundation. "The leverage gained from shared insight, expertise, and goals will be a significant step in the conservation and sustainability field."
Program Research to Drive Change
From Australia to Zambia, Alcoa Foundation fellows are currently conducting research and tackling issues that have local impact and global implications-with a goal of providing government and business leaders with usable information they can apply to meet specific sustainability and conservation challenges.
The fellows' research is centered on four critical themes:
- Climate change and energy;
- Conservation of fragile ecosystems and biodiversity;
- Integrating sustainability into public policy and governance; and
- Sustainability, livelihoods, and economic growth.
Common issues are emerging in the geographically diverse research projects. For example, research on the types and quantity of products extracted from the mangrove ecosystem in Cameroon, Africa, is helping with the development of sustainable management directives for the coastal ecosystem. A continent away in Mexico, research on ecological services provided by desert oases to biodiversity and human welfare will foster sustainable practices by demonstrating the incentives for conserving these critical habitats.
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Conference Speakers
The conference featured a host of international speakers, including:
- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel laureate in economics
- Alain Belda, Alcoa Chairman and CEO
- John Elkington, Founder, SustainAbility (U.K.)
- Magnus Johannesson, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment of Iceland
- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President of the Heinz Center in the U.S.
- David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Integration Branch, UN Division for Sustainable Development
- Leena Srivastava, Executive Director of The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi
In his speech, Belda highlighted key global sustainability issues of climate change and water, detailing ways in which Alcoa is addressing these and also joining the other participants in seeking greater policy and governance emphasis around the world on these pressing issues.
"To be true catalysts for change, we must work on all fronts across all sections of society," Belda told the attendees. "The Alcoa Foundation's Global Conservation & Sustainability Network will bring together many of the world's best minds from academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and industry to find new paths toward sustainability. Simply put, our commitment is to work for step change through innovation and concerted action."
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To view the presentations, click here.
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Alcoa Foundation Calls for Global Action on Sustainability and Conservation
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Text of remarks by Alain Belda, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa
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