Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy A NETWORK OF NETWORKS FOR SUSTAINABILE SCIENCE: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR THE UNIVERSITIES By Stefano Grego Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy

Sustainability is a modification of society comparable to Agricultural Revolution in late Neolithic Industrial Revolution (US EPA)

from Ecology To Sustainability From conservation regardless the human purpose to sustainable development linking for the first time the environment to development from Ecology To Sustainability The report carefully defined sustainable development as ‘‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

According to panelists at a recent EPA sponsored Forum (2006), sustainability requires the simultaneous promotion of equitable economic growth, environmental protection, and equity (social well-being)

-Cycling of matter- -Biodiversity- -Sustainability- Solar energy information Producers Consumers Decomposers Heat T i m e S p a c e -Cycling of matter- -Biodiversity- -Sustainability- Abiotic environment

KOFI ANAN (2001) “Only by understanding the environment and how it works, can we make the necessary decisions to protect it. Only by valuing all our precious natural and human resources, can we hope to build a sustainable future. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is an unprecedented contribution to our global mission for development, sustainability, and peace.” In other words sustainability is achieved only when there is full reconciliation between economic development; meeting, on an equitable basis, growing and changing human needs and aspirations; and conserving limited natural resources and the capacity of the environment to absorb the multiple stresses that are a consequence of human activities (Hay and Mimura 2006).

For 1 kcal production are necessary 12-13 kcal

Sustainability Science The sustainable development needs an integrated approach A new vision of research is necessary to represent in a more precise way the complexity and the multidimensional characteristics of sustainable development The reserch has to be solution oriented from Ecology To Sustainability Sustainability Science

La Scienza della Sostenibilità It is not a basic or applied research but a sector defined by the problems to be solved It is a system useful to improve both the knowledge and the action making a dynamic link between them. It is liking the basic and practical prospective, global and local, from North to South, all academic disciplines from natural and social sciences to engineering and medical sector. Improved activity and technology Increase of knowledge Basic research) Research based on the necessities (Sustainability Science) Applied R&D (eg. WEHAB R&D) Modern knowledge time Existing technological activity Dynamic link between knowledge and its use

Multidisciplinary Interdisciplinary Agriculture Energy Foresty Rural sociology Sustainable science promotes science in each field Ecological economy Business Fishery Water Agriculture Foresty Energy Interdisciplinary Rural sociology Ecological economy Sustainable science conducts interdisciplany research Business Fishery Water

Transdisciplinary Agriculture Energy Forestry Rural sociology Ecological economy Sustainable science (core) Business Fishery Water Transdisciplinary Sustainable science is a distinct discipline engaged in a transdisciplinary effort arching over existing disciplines

International Conference on Sustainability Science, Tokyo 2009 February 6, 2009 Track 1: Climate Change and Energy Session 2: Energy Sustainability Chair : Prof. Vincenzo Naso, CIRPS, Sapienza, the University of Rome

International Conference on Sustainability Science, Tokyo 2009

ICSS-2010 International Conference on Sustainability Science 2010 Rome - June, 23-25 Faculty of Engineering - Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Arizona State University ICSS 2012 Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona February 22-24, 2012

We will never solve our problems using the same kind of thinking that caused them in the first place Albert Einstein