Attending the AGU Meeting 2024 at Washington D.C.!

 

This week, I had the pleasure of having an excellent opportunity to participate in the AGU Meeting in Washington, D.C. The AGU is the acronym of the American Geophysical Union. Each year, the Fall meeting takes place in December. The 2024 AGU meeting was held on 9-13 December at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, attracting over 25,000 attendees from over 100 countries. This is one of the largest gatherings of scientists and scholars in the United States and globally, who share ground-breaking inventions, technological innovation, and scientific research covering inter-disciplinary perspectives related to the dynamics of Earth and space sciences and Planetary perspectives. Under the theme “What next for science,” the AGU 2024 explores the “… constant question and answer form a rhythm, a cadence, a story”. The AGU looks for the story – science is a story of continuous discovery, “… a story of infinite possibilities … a story of hopeful solutions”. Its slogan continues: “It’s the story of our journey; we create what’s next. What’s next for our community. What’s next for discoveries. What’s next for our planet. What’s Next for Science.” I had the privilege to speak on the panel entitled: “Advancing social science and justice consideration in climate research” organized by renowned scholars from well-known institutions, such as Yale University, University of Maryland and IIT Bombay. 

I spoke under the title “Exploring climate justice vis-à-vis green transition. The Arctic Indigenous peoples with a special focus on the Norwegian Sámi”, where I outlined the paradox of sustainability transition. While the green shift is well-intentioned to enhance climate responsibilities, its effect on marginalized communities offers an unsustainable social progression unless overall societal duties are upheld. By bringing examples from two Norwegian cases, namely the Alta Dam Controversy and the recent Fosen Vind dispute, I examined how the state, as a duty bearer, must act responsibly while upholding its climate responsibility. Given the fact that the Sámi people’s cultural survival and the sustenance of their ethnic and cultural identity as a distinct people depend on their relationship with nature and nature-based subsistence activities, such as the reindeer herding activities, any detrimental impacts on the activities would cause a clear violation of law and legal principles under both national regulations and international human rights law. I concluded that the green transition must not ignore inclusive decision-making, reflecting the challenges and needs of the people on the ground who are the victims and who suffer the most, even when the aim is to uphold broader national climate responsibilities.