IIASA’s conference, Global Development: Science and Policies for the Future, focused on the current trends in global development and explore the human and environmental realities of the coming decades that should—and must—drive policy making today.

Science Responding to Global Change

Today more than ever, policy makers need reliable, up-to-date scientific data to inform the decisions they take. Bringing together science and policy, the conference provided major insights into the issues that shape our future and address the knowledge-based tools to cope with them.

With 35 years of success in researching challenges that span the boundaries not only between countries but also within science, IIASA brings a unique perspective to global development. In this conference, IIASA’s leading researchers joined with experts from around the globe, to explore the future for global development.

Conference Vision

The world at the beginning of the twenty-first century is deeply contradictory. Millions live in abject poverty, yet there is enormous personal wealth. Food is abundant in some places, while in others people are dying of starvation. Massive environmental destruction exists alongside wonderful examples of conservation. What does the future hold for a world of such stark contrasts?

We cannot know exactly what the future will bring. We do know that the decisions we make today will have far-reaching consequences for our planet. We know too that only an in-depth knowledge and analysis of social, economic, technological, and environmental issues will help us chart a course toward the kind of future that we would wish for the whole of humankind.

Responsible for this page: Nina Drinkovic
Last updated: 27 Nov 2008