Research urgencies in the Polar Regions

This two day symposium was held in the historic city of Siena, Tuscany, on 23 and 24 September 2011. It addressed all aspects of polar science, with a focus on the functioning of the Earth System in the Arctic and Antarctic, the major drivers of pervasive change and the as yet unaddressed research issues in these regions. These global issues will be considered in the polar regions within the context of the ICSU Grand Challenges and the research priorities of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), the International Association of Cryospheric Sciences (IACS) and other ICSU Unions and Interdisciplinary Scientific Bodies with interests in polar sciences.

Identifying and acting on the grand challenges for ‘global sustainability’ research and transferring scientific outputs into reliable short-medium term advice for decision makers will be increasingly critical over the coming decades. This applies in polar regions as much as for other parts of the Earth. But in the polar regions the ICSU co-sponsored International Polar Year 2007-2008 has heightened public awareness of environmental issues and has opened a dialogue with policy makers to find sustainable solutions in the face on unprecedented and rapid change.

Invited speakers outlined the major current global challenges and changes in terrestrial and oceanic domains in the polar regions and highlight how these are linked to the ICSU Grand Challenges in Global Sustainability. A panel session, involving representatives of a range of ICSU bodies, discussed the relevance of polar urgencies to their organisations research priorities, and to the overall ICSU strategy.

The final statement was presented at the ICSU General Assembly in Rome (26 September - 1 October 2011) and is now available for download (see below).