On Saturday 17 September, Scientists for Future South Tyrol (S4F) held a symposium to work on a future online resource called “Resource for Social and Ecological Transition” (ReSET). Scientists and experts from different disciplines from all over South Tyrol met at Eurac Research in Bolzano to work together on ReSET. This future online resource will be freely accessible to citizens and will contain comprehensive, fact-checked information on current and potential sustainability policies, initiatives and projects in South Tyrol.
Scientists for Future is a decentralised, self-organising grassroots movement founded in 2019 in Germany to support the broader climate and sustainability movement with scientific facts and information. Its founding statement, published in March 2019, was signed by more than 28,000 international scientists. Scientists for Future South Tyrol is the largest interdisciplinary scientific organisation in the province not affiliated with an institution.
The ReSET will be an online resource covering seven broad topics relating to sustainability in the province: biodiversity, economy, climate change adaptation, agriculture, social inclusion, energy, mobility. It will provide a holistic vision of sustainability in the Province and, using existing scientific evidence, explain the benefits and necessary steps to reach a more sustainable situation in the province. The ReSET was inspired by the draft Sustainability Strategy paper which was published by the Province in July 2021. While Scientists for Future South Tyrol acknowledge the work behind the Province’s paper, we also know unambiguously that bolder policies are necessary and feasible.
The second half of the Province’s Klimaplan is due to be released in June 2023. S4F hopes that the ReSET will serve as inspiration for the implementation measures that will be detailed in the plan. The ReSET is not a specific list of demands or a political programme.
A spokesperson for S4F said: “We’re in the fortunate situation in South Tyrol that we have many renowned research institutions, but the political will for bolder sustainability policies is lacking. The public are becoming increasingly aware about sustainability issues, but there’s still a gap in people’s understanding of the urgency of the problems and the myriad of possible solutions. Our neighbours across Europe are already implementing innovative and effective policies to revolutionise their systems to more sustainable alternatives. If South Tyrol wants to remain at the forefront of European innovation, our politicians listen to science and take scientific knowledge fully into account for the development of policies.”
