Working Group 21 (WG21) was created by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics in 2023 at the 32nd General Assembly Geneva, Switzerland. The Working Group Physics for Climate Change Action and Sustainable Developement has the following mission/mandate:

Mission/Mandate

  • Identify, promote, engage and discuss the unique role that physics is and should be playing in this area.
  • Entrench an evidence-based approach to responses to climate change studies and the energy transition process in close collaboration with experts from other disciplines.
  • Establish a strong bridge with the broad international public on these topics.
  • Suggest and encourage ways of incorporating green economy and sustainability thinking in university curricula and research training.
  • Advise Executive Council on actions to be taken, work to be done, statements to be issued.
  • Organize at least one major conference over the next three years.
  • Engage with the activities that are expected to take place in connection with the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in August 2023.
  • Liaise with Regional, national Physics Society, with other Unions in other fields in the spirit of IYBSSD.

Members

  • Prof Nithaya CHETTY, South Africa Chair
    IUPAP Vice-President for Membership and Development
    University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
  • Prof. Irvy (Igle) GLEDHILL South Africa Secretary
    Past Chair, IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics;
    University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
  • Prof. Ram Prasad Regmi Nepal Chief Scientist, Nepal National Atmospheric Resource and Environmental Research Laboratory and Tribhuvan University
  • Dr. Hyunjung LEE Korea Korea Institute of Fusion Energy
  • Prof. Jon SAMSETH Norway Oslo Metropolitan University; chair SCOPE – Scientific Committee of Problems of the Environment
  • Prof. Jean-Louis SCARTEZZINI Switzerland Former Director, Director of EPFL Solar Energy and Building Physics Laboratory, EPFL, École Polytechnique Fédérale de LauzanneDr. Tomás M. SINTES Spain University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca
  • Dr. Gry Merete TVETEN Norway Expert Analytics AS, Oslo
  • Prof. Carolina VERA Argentina Member of the Scientific Council of ICTP and previous Vice-Chair of WG1 Bureau of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) in the 6th Cycle (2016-2023)