Call for abstracts to BISC 2021: From crisis to action (call closing)

How can COVID-19 change the way we think about a sustainable future?

While we are in the midst of the corona outbreak we still face another major crisis: climate change and global sustainability. Both the climate and COVID-19 crises uncover risks and instabilities in an interconnected world. Their level of disruption requires coordinated responses from governments, businesses, researchers and the general population. But they are also different. The pandemic directly threatens individuals whereas climate change undermines both humans and nature. And while both crises call for deep and rapid change, COVID-19 has been able to mobilise quick responses while the climate crisis somehow appears less urgent. We know that crises are inevitable, but when they emerge they appear sudden and unexpected, and the outcome is unknown. Since we cannot eliminate risks, new crises will inevitably emerge. The resilience of the society and the capacity of the institutions are therefore of most importance. At the same time, we also need to move from crisis management to deliberate action towards a sustainable future.

Both collaboration across national borders and knowledge sharing across academic disciplines is crucial to deal with the complexity of these issues. We therefore invite undergraduate and postgraduate students from all countries and academic disciplines to participate in this important dialogue at the Bergen International Student Conference in March 2021. At the conference, we wish to explore how we can move from crisis to action. We welcome digital attendance and physical attendance if possible, contributions related, but not limited to the following questions:

• How can we move from crisis to action? What should the new normal post-COVID-19 look like?

• What can the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about dealing with crises, and how this knowledge can be applied to tackle (sustainability) challenges posed by climate change?

• Conflicts, risks and blindspots: what are the barriers to and opportunities for deep and rapid transformations, seen from your disciplinary viewpoint? And how can it make us more prepared for the unknown risks and the inevitable crises?

• Which academic activities and methods are appropriate for the challenges of our time?

Practical information

Dates and venue: 15. – 16. March 2021, online and in Bergen, Norway

Call for abstracts deadline: closing

Conference format: the conference will be open to both digital and physical attendees. We encourage digital participation at the conference. 

Contact: submit your abstracts to collaboratory@uib.no.

Contribution guidelines: The abstract should not be longer than 500 words and can be written in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish. Your submission can be based upon a thesis, course paper, field project or other academic work that you have written or are currently working on. At the conference, the abstract will form the basis of a short presentation, which will be followed by informal and interactive group discussions between all participants. There is no fee for attending the conference. Assuming that physical attendance and travel is possible in March, we encourage participants to seek financial assistance for accommodation and travel expenses from their home institution. More information regarding the digital conference platform will be given closer to the event. For more information please visit the conference webpage, the Facebook page or send us an email at collaboratory@uib.no.