Sustainable Development for the Americas: Science, Health, and Engineering Policy and Diplomacy

Environmental sustainability efforts require a great deal of engagement and political will, ranging from local communities to state departments. Science diplomats―from experts and scientists to spokespersons and ambassadors―can help facilitate at all levels and yield valued resources from technology sharing, capacity building, and knowledge exchanges. This book explores the importance of sustained international scientific cooperation, building community resilience, and the role of political will in sustainability and diplomacy. It shows how even small diplomatic efforts can influence myriad issues, from overfishing to human rights negotiations to global carbon emission reduction.

Features:

• Examines various topics such as global climate change, arid environments, water security and governance, trans-boundary conflict and cooperation, urban and rural resilience, and public health.

• Presents case studies from various geographic regions through the lens of diplomacy, including the US–Mexico border, the Gulf of California, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and China.

• Discusses how building networks of people, organizations, and countries engaged in science diplomacy is crucial for mutual growth and for overcoming conflicting political stances.

Sustainable Development for the Americas: Science, Health and Engineering Policy and Diplomacy provides a useful resource for diplomats, policymakers, students, and decision-makers. It provides numerous examples of how using science and technology for policy and diplomacy is essential to finding common ground among nations for a collective global benefit.

Honorary Editor

E. William Colglazier is Editor-in-Chief of Science & Diplomacy and Senior Scholar in the Center for Science Diplomacy at the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS). He works there to advance knowledge and practice on science policy and science diplomacy and to support international collaboration in science and technology. From 2016 to 2018 he co-chaired the 10-Member Group appointed by the UN Secretary General to advise on science, technology, and innovation for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. He served as the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State from 2011 to 2014. As Executive Officer of the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council for seventeen years, he oversaw the studies that provide independent, objective scientific advice on public policy issues.

He received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1971, and subsequently worked at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Tennessee. While at Harvard, he also served as Associate Director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Humanism of the Aspen Institute. As Professor of Physics in Tennessee, he directed research centers dealing with environmental, energy, and waste management issues. In 1976-77, he was an AAAS Congressional Science Fellow.

In 2015 Colglazier received from the American Physical Society the Joseph A. Burton Forum Award for "outstanding contributions to the public understanding or resolution of issues involving the interface of physics and society" and from the Government of Japan the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, for "contributing to science and technology exchange and mutual understanding between Japan and the United States."

Hassan A. Vafai has held position of professorship in engineering at different universities including Sharif University of Technology, Washington State University, and The University of Arizona. His research interests include the field of structural mechanics, structural dynamics offshore structured earthquake engineering. He was founder and editor-in-chief of Scientia, international journal of science and technology. Throughout his careers, he has received numerous awards for his contribution to the promotion of science and technology worldwide including being elected "Eternal Spirit in Science," the highest honor by the National Academy of Sciences of Iran conferred on outstanding scientists; an honorary doctorate by the Senatus Academicus of Moscow Region State Institution of Higher Education; and the "Order of Palm Academicques" awarded by the Ministry of Education, Research and Technology of France.

Kevin E. Lansey is professor of the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. His interests are related to water supply planning, water–energy links, and water distribution systems design, operation, and monitoring. He has published over 100 journal articles, 10 book chapters, and two textbooks in those areas. For his contributions, he was awarded the ASCE Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize for Young Researchers in 2002.

Molli D. Bryson currently serves as the Environmental Program Coordinator for the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at The University of Arizona. Since earning her bachelor’s degree in English, her professional interest has centered around science communications, especially in the realm of environmental diplomacy. She coordinates communications for the department, including website management, marketing, and cataloguing publications, as well as assisting in coordinating an array of events ranging from internal lecture series to large, international conferences. Her experience working with prestigious individuals from around the world has guided her career toward the subject of science editing and researching how best to communicate science to the public.