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Wildfire coutesy of Malachi Brooks/Unsplash
At the beginning of last week representatives from almost all of the world’s geographical societies met to discuss their individual and collective responses to environmental crises.
Jointly organised by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the International Geographical Union and the Society, the online meeting was attended by over 65 delegates from 30 countries. Participants discussed the challenges and ideas around the biodiversity and climate crisis, and shared current activities in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals and the upcoming UN Conferences of Parties on Biodiversity (COP 15) in Kunming China, and Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow. As a result, participants developed a joint statement and ideas for collaborations in the future.
Professor Joe Smith, Director of the Society, said: “The meeting captured the great scale and breadth of contribution to these key global challenges by geographers all over the planet across decades. Geography and geographical bodies have made a huge contribution to knowledge, engagement and action on biodiversity and climate change. But at the gathering we also provoked each other to stretch our ambitions, and commit to greater contributions in future.”
Ahead of the biodiversity and climate change COPs later this year, the societies will release a joint statement on the issues discussed at the gathering.