Bergen International Student Conference 2021: From crisis to action
Join us to discuss how we can move from crisis to sustainability action!
Main content
Opening speaker: rector Margareth Hagen will open the conference.
Keynote speakers and other guests: writer Andri Snær Magnason (IS), lecturer and facilitator Pernilla Glaser (SE), professor Roger Strand (UiB)
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 by asking the following leading 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
Program:
The conference will be based on student talks, keynote speakers and parallel group sessions. Small changes might occur!
Dates and venue: 15. – 16. March 2021, online and in Bergen, Norway
Call for abstracts deadline: closing
Conference format: digital
Contact: collaboratory@uib.no
Bergen International Student Conference
BISC is a yearly academic conference by and for students at the university level. The conference is coordinated by The Collaboratory, with support from The Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation and the University of Bergen.
