BC3. Basque centre for climate change – Klima aldaketa ikergai

BC3 has strived for an interdisciplinary understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change in broad social-ecological contexts across geographical, temporal and governance scales.

Through the implementation of its SP 2018-2012 BC3 moved towards solution seeking in ways that are co-designed with decision makers in the post-COP21 and SDG world by increasing the participatory components.  The two modalities, the Strategic Integrative Projects (e.g. the integrated Modelling Partnership powered by ARIES technology) and the Small Sherpa Projects supported more integration across several disciplines and SOs, and included in some cases, participatory approaches. Both modalities will continue to be used in SP 2022-2025.  

Activity 6.1 BC3 structure dialogue to build an implementation plan for transdisciplinary projects.

BC3 aims to consolidate its current capacities for transdisciplinary science to solve complexities around the foreseen transformations to address the climate crisis while considering interrelated problems (e.g. health, social, economic and environmental crisis). In doing so, an implementation plan for SO6 will be developed collectively (during the first semester of 2022) based on experience gathered in the previous SP: What does “transdisciplinary” mean in theory and in practice? How best use multidisciplinary research to produce transdisciplinary knowledge? Deep engagement in transdisciplinary science through SO6 implies abilities to think in a complex, interlinked manner, and acknowledge the discomfort inherent in abandoning one’s intellectual comfort zone and engaging in new modes of thinking and acting. Areas for cooperation were identified in the last four years, in particular around socio-ecological transformations towards a carbon neutral, resilient and sustainable world were: 1) Build on the Integrated Modelling Partnership to integrate BC3 models and tools developed under SOs 1-5 (e.g. input/output models; ecological processes models; livestock and crop models; scenario tools and repositories); 2) Explore the interactions between the achievement of SDGs and the transition to a low-carbon economy and resilient society using top down (IAMs) and bottom up (ARIES) wisely (e.g. exploring links between poverty and inequality with decarbonization and air pollution policies; and evaluate the synergies, trade-offs and risks of the transition to renewable energies in relation to land use and biodiversity) as a basis for sectorial dialogues with relevant actors at different scales and contributing to the GST process at global level; 3) Explore multiple actors platforms and the linkages among them, including the use of semantics (e.g. on one health, food systems); 4) Develop case studies for socio-ecological restauration at local scales (e.g. watersheds, urban-peri urban areas, etc.) to achieve multiple services; 5) Support citizens science and mini-publics (deliberative democracy processes) to ensure scientific knowledge is informing policy development and action; 6) Turning climate change awareness into action through scientific knowledge transfer, cultural, artistic, and pedagogical communication and more targeted outreach. The overall process will be led by the Scientific Director supported by an ad hoc selected committee, and strongly supported by the Cross-Cutting Themes.