Learning from Experience to Address Complex Science-Related Issues

To most effectively address the intersecting issues facing global societies that span across many disciplines, organizations and societies, it is important to plan, organize and conduct science-related projects that will most effectively, from both science and society perspectives, address the issues and lead to positive outcomes for all. In this presentation, I will draw upon my experience as: Chair of science committees for World Climate Research Programme and Integrated Research on Disaster Risk; President, Global Change START; Co-Chair, Governing Council, Future Earth; last President of the International Council for Science, the co-sponsor of many international programs; and being on many other relevant committees for a diversity of programs addressing different issues. As these programs demonstrate, there is a need to tailor the science program for the issue, the geography and the time. Increasingly and appropriately, there is need for more stakeholder involvement and more transdisciplinary, geographically representative science teams, to ensure that the programs science outputs address the issues. The sciences of meteorology, climatology, oceanography and hydrology which are components of wide range of global issues and cover the time perspectives of now to the next season, decade and century can be effective and are needed to be engaged fully in these complex science-related issues as we bring in a transdisciplinary approach.