The International Glaciological Society (IGS) has released the final report of the Ice in a Sustainable Society (ISS) Symposium to celebrate the first anniversary of the event, organised by Ikerbasque professor at BC3 Sérgio Henrique Faria on 5-10 June 2022 in Bilbao, Spain.

The report, written by BC3 researcher Patricia Muñoz and Aarhus University researcher Martyn Tranter, focuses on the different topics related to the cryosphere that were discussed during the event and their impact on society. The sessions covering the various disciplines were (1) Physical Sciences, (2) Formal Sciences and Engineering, (3) Life and Environmental Sciences, (4) Social Sciences, and (5) Humanities.

“The ISS Symposium was a unique event that brought together professionals from various fields, including glaciology, social sciences, arts, and humanities, to explore altogether the extraordinary transdisciplinary potential of glaciology.” (Patricia Muñoz, BC3 researcher)

The event included keynote lectures by experts such as Valérie Masson-Delmotte (Laboratoire des sciences du climat et de l’environnement, LCSE), Alexandre Anesio (Aarhus University), Michael Bravo (University of Cambridge, and Catherine Ritz (Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement, IGE), who also received the prestigious Seligman Crystal, a special prize awarded by IGS to outstanding research on glaciology.

Panel discussions and presentations covered a wide range of topics, including the IPCC assessment cycles, glacier dynamics, cryospheric microbiology, transdisciplinary glaciology, and the social and cultural responses to glacial melting and sea-level rise. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to view posters and attend social events.

Furthermore, the Symposium hosted a week-long art exhibition and a movie festival, which counted with contributions by Basque and international artists, including Jesus Mari Lazkano, Txema Agiriano, Susana Jodra, Carmen Marin, Mikel Arce, Salt Road (Sally Payen, Jaime Jackson, Pearl Jackson-Payen), Neelambari Phalkey, Kieran Baxter, Luftwerk (Petra Bachmaier, Sean Gallero) and others. Many of those artists attended the Symposium and interacted with the participants, creating synergies and coproducing knowledge and art.

“We wanted to highlight the importance of inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations and their contribution to societal and environmental challenges. The overall goal of the ISS Symposium was to foster dialogue across disciplines and encourage participants to venture beyond their comfort zones, contributing to the understanding of the climate crisis and the preservation of glaciers and ice-related ecosystems. We managed to accomplish that.” (Sérgio Henrique Faria, Ikerbasque Professor at BC3)