Montreal has been chosen to participate in a United Nations project that will mobilize tens of thousands of scientists from around the world in an attempt to build and connect international research on the environment and sustainable development.
Known as Future Earth, the 10-year UN environmental science committee initiative will seek ways to intensify and accelerate the impact of the research and to establish guidelines for global sustainability.
Besides Montreal, Future Earth’s globally distributed secretariat will also have hubs in Paris, Tokyo, Stockholm and Boulder, Colorado.
Concordia University will house the Montreal hub that will bring together Quebec researchers and involve all of Montreal’s universities.
The universities came together to work on a joint proposal to lobby for the hub with the backing of Montreal International, which acts as an economic driver for Greater Montreal.
There were at least 20 competing bids.
Future Earth is being overseen by the International Council of Science, a non-governmental association with a goal to strengthen international science for the benefit of society.
It is the result of a commitment made in 2012, at the United Nations conference Rio+20, to develop a new international network to advance sustainability.
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