Workshop_in_brief
Since 2018, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have convened scientists to discuss cutting-edge sustainability research and practices. This workshop, the third in a series, took place November 21-22, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary and virtually, with a focus on food systems and sustainability.The objectives of the workshop were to promote scientific coordination, cooperation, and collaboration between China and the United States on food systems and sustainability; examine the state of food systems and sustainability research and practices and identify priority areas for scientific collaboration on specific challenges; and discuss opportunities for advancing policy options in China and the United States, including a solution-focused approach.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-73572-6
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/29079
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. China-U.S. Scientific Engagement: Food Systems and Sustainability: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
The pandemic and overlapping global crises, including climate change, have increased attention to the importance of mental health and well-being as foundational for humans. Similarly, COVID-19 significantly exacerbated gaps in education, leaving children one to three years behind. Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated potential to be transformative in addressing challenges in mental health and education and in supporting broader sustainability issues. However, there are well-founded concerns about AI regarding its potential to exacerbate inequity, further marginalizing underserved communities.
To further explore these issues, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability, in collaboration with the Board on Health Care Services and Board on Science Education, convened a hybrid workshop, Artificial Intelligence in Education and Mental Health for a Sustainable Future on May 30, 2024. The workshop consisted of two parts: AI in mental health and well-being and AI in education. Participants reviewed AI tools, applications, and strategies in education and mental health and the implications for sustainable development. The workshop also discussed AI's potential to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
11 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-72775-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27995
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Artificial Intelligence in Education and Mental Health for a Sustainable Future: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
The concept of a just transition is increasingly recognized as a key element of sustainable development and the transformation of low-carbon economies and societies. Challenges to achieve a just transition include limited data availability and stakeholder engagement, issues of inequality, lack of regulations, and limited financial resources. To explore how to address these challenges, the Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability, the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, and the Board on Science Education at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine jointly convened a public workshop on July 24, 2023. Participants discussed scientific-related priorities to a just transition and ways to translate research from the lab to the field and practice, as well as ways to inform policy making. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-71398-6
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27428
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Challenges and Opportunities Toward a Just Transition and Sustainable Development: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Scientists in China and in the United States have worked collaboratively, both formally and informally, for years to address their shared sustainability challenges. To further this engagement, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Chinese Academy of Sciences convened a workshop on June 20-21, 2023 focused on identifying priority areas for scientific collaboration to promote sustainability and planetary health in China and the United States. Participants gathered at the National Academies Beckman Center in Irvine, California, as well as virtually to discuss a subset of the field, including ecosystems and planetary health; air pollution and planetary health; urbanization and circular systems towards planetary health; planetary health, health emergencies, and climate change; and key priorities and international cooperation for planetary health. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
14 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-71235-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27334
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. China-U.S. Scientific Engagement: Key Issues and Possible Solutions for Sustainability and Planetary Health: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Scientists in China and in the United States have addressed key topics related to sustainability in both formal and informal collaborations for many years. To further this engagement, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are convening a series of three workshops. Each workshop will examine the state of sustainability research and practices; identify priority areas for scientific collaboration on specific challenges; and discuss opportunities for advancing policy actions and the potential for new technology development and deployment in China and the United States. The first workshop took place July 27 to July 29 2022 and focused on sustainability and biodiversity as an important area of sustainability research and practices. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69692-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26807
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. China-U.S. Scientific Engagement: Strengthening Collaborations for Sustainability and Biodiversity: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The COVID-19 pandemic and overlapping global crises, including geopolitical conflict and climate change, have made achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more challenging. The scientific community incre-singly recognizes the need to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based, scientifically-sound policies and actions to operationalize sustainable development.
This report identifies key research priorities and possible actionable steps to operationalize sustainable development at the global and local levels. Although the scope of the challenges and opportunities are global with many research investigations and actions needed, Operationalizing Sustainable Development to Benefit People and the Planet presents research priorities and possible actionable steps for consideration by U.S. stakeholders
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128 pages
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6 x 9
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-69165-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69166-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26654
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Operationalizing Sustainable Development to Benefit People and the Planet. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015 by all United Nations Member States, offers a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." The Agenda outlines 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which address a range of global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental degradation, among others. Advances in technology and the proliferation of data are providing new opportunities for monitoring and tracking the progress of the SDGs. Yet, with these advances come significant challenges, such as a lack infrastructure, knowledge, and capacity to support big data.
To further examine how the global scientific, engineering, and medical communities can better facilitate the effective use of data to advance sustainability in the context of the SDGs, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Board on Research Data and Information and the Science and Technology for Sustainability Program convened a virtual public workshop on September 9-10, 2021. The workshop examined current efforts and initiatives to harness data and data-driven services to advance sustainability around the world. Workshop discussions also explored crosscutting issues, including strengthening the engagement of scientific, engineering, and medical communities on data-related issues, addressing disparities in the ability of societies to utilize data, and lessons learned from global experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
13 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-29556-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26513
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Data-Informed Societies Achieving Sustainability: Tasks for the Global Scientific, Engineering, and Medical Communities: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, the global supply chain is vulnerable to major disruptions from unanticipated events, yet no threat to the functioning of essential supply chains looms larger than the growing number of extreme weather events resulting from climate change. Indeed, the characteristics of today's supply chains - their dependence on shipping and air transport, specialized inputs sourced from specific locations spread worldwide, and reduced inventories tied to just-in-time production - make them especially vulnerable to disruption from climate risks. With the goal of protecting global trade worth almost $20 trillion annually against such disruptions, supply chain executives and researchers who study global supply chains are now starting to focus on ways of increasing supply chain resilience in a world buffeted by climate change. To explore ongoing efforts to create climate-resilient supply chains, the Science and Technology for Sustainability program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, held a two-day virtual workshop on September 27-28, 2021.
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-27712-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26461
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Climate-Resilient Supply Chains: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis sparked concerns about the vulnerability of supply chains and the significant impact of their disruption on the economy and society within the U.S. and abroad. Issues around global supply chains existed before the pandemic but were also greatly aggravated by it. To consider these issues, the Science and Technology for Sustainability program, in collaboration with the Resilient America Program, Transportation Research Board, and Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, held a series of four virtual workshops on February 3, 4, 17, and 18, 2021.
The workshop series addressed opportunities, challenges and environmental implications of increasing local inclusion and community participation in global value chain networks by using new technologies to strengthen resilience and sustainability in the face of recurring disruptions. The series also explored the feasibility of introducing advanced manufacturing, logistics and decision-making under alternative supply chain scenarios in different sectors, with a view to strengthening the resilience of communities and adopting far more environmentally and economically sustainable consumption and production approaches. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshops.
14 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67843-9
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26193
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Sustainable and Resilient Supply Chains Using Emerging Technologies: Policy Options: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Over the past decade there has been a growing interest in sustainability education in colleges and universities across the United States, with a marked increase in the number of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, research institutes, and centers focused on sustainability. Evidence-based core competencies for interdisciplinary sustainability programs can provide suitable guidance for curricular and program development, research, policy, communication, and pedagogical approaches at academic institutions. They can also serve as a guide for students to select academic programs and potential career options, a reference for employers to understand qualifications of graduates, and the foundation for a potential specialized accreditation for interdisciplinary sustainability programs. The growing demand for well-qualified sustainability professionals within the public, private, and nonprofit sectors also points to the value of developing core competencies.
Strengthening Sustainability Programs and Curricula at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels provides expert insights for strengthening the emerging discipline of sustainability in higher education in the United States. This report describes the local, national, and global landscape related to sustainability education; examines the history and current status of sustainability education programs in the United States and globally; discusses employment prospects for sustainability graduates in terms of the opportunities and the skills that employers seek; and addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion in sustainability-related education and employment.
156 pages
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6 x 9
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-67839-0
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67840-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25821
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Strengthening Sustainability Programs and Curricula at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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In November 2018, National Academy of Sciences (NAS) President Marcia McNutt visited China for the first time in her official role. As part of this visit, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Science and Technology for Sustainability (STS) program and the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized a one-day workshop relating to urban sustainability in Beijing. The goal of the visit was to begin to explore some areas where the U.S. National Academies and the Chinese Academy might develop collaboration. At the same time, the trip provided an opportunity to develop links to other parts of the science and technology community in China.
To further elucidate some of these issues and build upon current partnerships, an expert committee under the STS program, in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, organized a one-day public workshop on urban sustainability in China and the United States, held on December 16, 2019. The workshop focused on the intersection of urban climate change mitigation and adaptation, urban health, and sustainable transportation, including green infrastructure and urban flooding in both countries. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
86 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-67721-1
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67722-X
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25794
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Advancing Urban Sustainability in China and the United States: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Even as malnutrition in the form of hunger and obesity affect the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide, a significant amount of food is lost or wasted every day, in every country, and at every stage in the supply chain from the farm to the household. According to a 2011 estimate by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about one-third of food produced is lost or wasted globally. Beyond quantity estimates, however, less is known about the impacts on farmers, food prices, food availability, and environment of reducing food loss and waste.
On October 17, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized a workshop to examine key challenges that arise in reducing food loss and waste throughout the supply chain and discussed potential ways to address these challenges. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49055-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49056-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25396
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Reducing Impacts of Food Loss and Waste: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Chronic homelessness is a highly complex social problem of national importance. The problem has elicited a variety of societal and public policy responses over the years, concomitant with fluctuations in the economy and changes in the demographics of and attitudes toward poor and disenfranchised citizens. In recent decades, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the philanthropic community have worked hard to develop and implement programs to solve the challenges of homelessness, and progress has been made. However, much more remains to be done. Importantly, the results of various efforts, and especially the efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans in recent years, have shown that the problem of homelessness can be successfully addressed.
Although a number of programs have been developed to meet the needs of persons experiencing homelessness, this report focuses on one particular type of intervention: permanent supportive housing (PSH). Permanent Supportive Housing focuses on the impact of PSH on health care outcomes and its cost-effectiveness. The report also addresses policy and program barriers that affect the ability to bring the PSH and other housing models to scale to address housing and health care needs.
226 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-47704-2
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47705-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25133
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Permanent Supportive Housing: Evaluating the Evidence for Improving Health Outcomes Among People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The widespread destruction of California, Houston, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands from extreme events, along with continued future transition planning exercises for building and rebuilding, have increased the focus on the potential role of sustainable energy deployment. To discuss the opportunities and challenges in deploying sustainable energy during transitions, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2018. Participants explored how cities, regions, and nations are building renewable energy into their longer-term planning, in accordance with the context of the United Nations' (UN's) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
9 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47874-X
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25175
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Deploying Sustainable Energy During Transitions: Implications of Recovery, Renewal, and Rebuilding: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Solar photovoltaics, wind power, and energy storage systems offer viable alternatives to fossil fuels—but they also have environmental, economic, and social impacts. To explore these impacts, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability held a workshop on June 12, 2017. The goals were examining the sustainability implications of material demands and manufacturing processes associated with renewable energy technologies; mobilizing, encouraging, and catalyzing the use of scientific knowledge; and stimulating additional research. This publication briefly summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
8 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-46457-9
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/24876
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing for Renewable Energy Technology Development to 2030: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Cities have experienced an unprecedented rate of growth in the last decade. More than half the world's population lives in urban areas, with the U.S. percentage at 80 percent. Cities have captured more than 80 percent of the globe's economic activity and offered social mobility and economic prosperity to millions by clustering creative, innovative, and educated individuals and organizations. Clustering populations, however, can compound both positive and negative conditions, with many modern urban areas experiencing growing inequality, debility, and environmental degradation.
The spread and continued growth of urban areas presents a number of concerns for a sustainable future, particularly if cities cannot adequately address the rise of poverty, hunger, resource consumption, and biodiversity loss in their borders. Intended as a comparative illustration of the types of urban sustainability pathways and subsequent lessons learned existing in urban areas, this study examines specific examples that cut across geographies and scales and that feature a range of urban sustainability challenges and opportunities for collaborative learning across metropolitan regions. It focuses on nine cities across the United States and Canada (Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Grand Rapids, MI, Flint, MI, Cedar Rapids, IA, Chattanooga, TN, and Vancouver, Canada), chosen to represent a variety of metropolitan regions, with consideration given to city size, proximity to coastal and other waterways, susceptibility to hazards, primary industry, and several other factors.
192 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-44453-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-44454-3
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/23551
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Pathways to Urban Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities for the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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In 1999 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a landmark report, Our Common Journey: A Transition toward Sustainability, which attempted to "reinvigorate the essential strategic connections between scientific research, technological development, and societies' efforts to achieve environmentally sustainable improvements in human well-being."1 The report emphasized the need for place-based and systems approaches to sustainability, proposed a research strategy for using scientific and technical knowledge to better inform the field, and highlighted a number of priorities for actions that could contribute to a sustainable future.
The past 15 years have brought significant advances in observational and predictive capabilities for a range of natural and social systems, as well as development of other tools and approaches useful for sustainability planning. In addition, other frameworks for environmental decision making, such as those that focus on climate adaptation or resilience, have become increasingly prominent. A careful consideration of how these other approaches might intersect with sustainability is warranted, particularly in that they may affect similar resources or rely on similar underlying scientific data and models.
To further the discussion on these outstanding issues, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop on January 14-15, 2016. Participants discussed progress in sustainability science during the last 15 years, potential opportunities for advancing the research and use of scientific knowledge to support a transition toward sustainability, and challenges specifically related to establishing indicators and observations to support sustainability research and practice. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
82 pages
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-44375-X
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-44376-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/23533
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Transitioning Toward Sustainability: Advancing the Scientific Foundation: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The responsible management of natural resources for present-day needs and future generations requires integrated approaches that are place-based, embrace systems thinking, and incorporate the social, economic, and environmental considerations of sustainability. Landscape-scale analysis takes this holistic view by focusing on the spatial scales most appropriate for the resource types and values being managed. Landscape-scale analysis involves assessing landscape features in relation to a group of influencing factors such as land use change, hydrologic changes or other disturbances, topography, and historical vegetation conditions.
As such, different types of data and multiple disciplines may be required for landscape analysis, depending on the question of interest and scale of analysis. Multi-resource analysis (MRA) is an approach to landscape-scale analysis that integrates information among multiple natural resources, including ecosystem services, and is designed to evaluate impacts and tradeoffs between development and conservation at landscape scales to inform public resource managers. This approach implicitly addresses social, economic, and ecological functional relationships; for example, actions to realize the benefits of one type of natural resource (e.g., minerals, oil, and gas) may influence behavior and potential benefits related to other types of natural resources (e.g., recreational opportunities).
In June 2015, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop on using landscape-based approaches and MRA to better inform federal decision making for the sustainable management of natural resources. Participants discussed knowledge gaps and priority areas for research and presentations of case studies of approaches that have been used to effectively integrate landscape-based approaches and MRA into practice. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
84 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-39215-2
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-39216-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/21917
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Integrating Landscape Approaches and Multi-Resource Analysis into Natural Resource Management: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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