The forum's plenary session was devoted to sustainable management of coastal regions as a tool for conservation of the marine environment. The National Committee on BRICS Research was represented by Olga Bakhmet, KarRC RAS Director General, as a member of the Committee's Scientific Council. RAS Corresponding Academician talked about the BRICS Green Agenda and conservation of the marine environment. Their main provisions are outlined in the declaration of the 14th BRICS summit in Beijing (June, 2022).
One of the priority areas is the “green economy”.
– It implies that the economies of BRICS member countries are to be developed simultaneously with doing all kinds of research and developing technologies for conserving the environment, maintaining biodiversity, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, - Olga Bahmet informed.
In particular, the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025 was designed to address climate change issues, which forms the framework for adopting techniques and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and to sustainably sequester carbon.
KarRC RAS Director General Olga Bakhmet gave a talk at the Baltic Sea Day plenary session
Speaking about the study of aquatic ecosystems within BRICS, KarRC RAS leader noted the active development of cooperation in the field of marine science and technology. Plans are being made for joint intergovernmental research and scientific expeditions.
– The focus is primarily on the conservation and protection of biodiversity of seas and oceans, while simultaneously supporting sustainable economic development and well-being, first of all for the population of coastal areas. A BRICS flagship project - "The science we need for the ocean we want" is being implemented as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science, - Olga Bakhmet explained.
According to her, the scientific community is now paying special attention to cooperation in the Arctic region. This involves both intensifying the development of maritime transport and conserving the environment and maintaining the biodiversity of these territories. This year, the fifth meeting of the BRICS Ocean and Polar Science and Technology Working Group will take place in South Africa.
Concluding her talk, Olga Bakhmet invited the participants of the plenary session to join the first regional research conference in the framework of BRICS cooperation to be held at KarRC RAS this summer. Representatives of all five member countries of this interstate association are expected to take part.
As a reminder, in October 2022 the Karelian Research Center RAS and the National Committee on BRICS Research signed an agreement on cooperation. It envisages implementation of joint projects, organization of conferences and seminars, and networking between Russian scientific organizations and foreign expertise and analytical centers on research issues.
Photo: a shot from plenary session broadcast; P. Petrov / Department for International Cooperation KarRC RAS