The 2020 Virtual Forum on Earth System Governance was held 15–17 September 2020, the first ever Earth System Governance event to bring together the global research alliance in a virtual setting. The 2020 Virtual Forum presented a platform and an opportunity to explore questions about the nature of disruption in multiple domains of sustainability governance. This included the global COVID19 crisis, the climate and biodiversity crises, as well as broader issues such as political polarization, economic downturn, and technological change. Yet, at the same time as societies confront these challenges across all scales, disruptions create new possibilities for rethinking social norms and values, as well as reimagining and transforming governance. Over three days, environmental governance experts could interrogate the interplay of precarity and possibility that arises at this historical moment, and the implications for global sustainability and justice.
The 2020 Virtual Forum encompassed 3 Plenary Sessions, 6 Semi-Plenary Sessions and 8 parallel Innovative Sessions, as well as room for informal networking and breaks. In addition, side-events were also held, such as the early career World Café on the 14th of September and the Earth System Governance Taskforce & Meeting Day on the 18th of September.
