In my scientific career I concentrated on the interrelated fields of acoustics, geophysical imaging, socio-economic transition and – more recently –climate change. All these fields have in common that research results are closely connected with the future of our Planet. I believe that science and society will have to interact more than ever before, of course under the condition that scientists stay independent scientists all the time. In the years ahead, we will see a stronger coupling between ambitions in science, prosperity development and planet care. This means that the different frameworks, being utilized to realize these ambitions, have to converge into one integrated network with interplaying technical, economic, social and ecological processes that strengthen each other. Ultimately, we may expect global platforms around very complex problems that combine scientific knowledge on the behavior of (macro) molecules with scientific knowledge on the behavior of (groups of) people and scientific knowledge on the behavior of the earth’s natural system with the aim to create new solutions for a better world. We talk here about an unprecedented integration of ambitions, knowledge and scales as proposed in his book: The Dynamic Role of Knowledge in Innovation, Part II (University of the 21st Century). In this symbiotic endeavor universities should state their scientific missions in terms of future contributions to science and society at large, business organizations should focus on long-term socio-economic strategies and governments should concentrate on truly serving the public interest. In all of this, insight in what is to come is a sine qua non. If we want to be successful in developing a reliable image of the future, it is necessary to understand the present. And if we want to understand the present, it is necessary to know where we come from.
The academic education should distinguish itself from other schools by not aiming at 'scientific depth' only, but also by paying attention to the interaction with neighbouring fields (‘scientific breadth’). Lack of system thinking is the biggest problem we see in today’s complex problem solving. In addition to specialisation, science urgently needs knowledge integration! This means not only the implementation of traditional deductive science with a principal role for hypothesis and modelling (‘theoretical simulation’), but also the use of inductive science with a principal role for measurement and analysis ('data science’).
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The Center for Global Socio-Economic Change (CFGSEC) is a social enterprise that focuses on promoting prosperity and well-being in societies worldwide. CFGSEC has a unique organization. It doesn’t need to angle for assignments in order to keep a permanent staff at work. For every issue that comes its way, CFGSEC brings together the right professionals from elsewhere (including zzp’ers and retired experts). This allows the Centre to provide tailor-made teams at a high multidisciplinary level. And at least as important, CFGSEC teams have no interest in bending project outcomes towards the wishes of the client.
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CLINTEL stands for Climate Intelligence. It is a fast growing international organization that fights against the draconic global warming measures of politicians. CLINTEL’s mission is to tell the FULL climate story, making clear that today trillions of dollars are being spent on the basis of misleading computer models. CLINTEL’s slogan is: There is no climate emergency. Threatening the living standards of new generations is the real climate emergency. CLINTEL’s World Climate Declaration has been signed by more than 800 prominent scientists and professionals. One of the signatories is Nobel Laureate Professor Ivar Giaever
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