The first National Polar Conference kicks off in Rome

“Poles of knowledge: from extreme lands to global challenges” began today at the headquarters of the National Research Council (piazzale Aldo Moro 7, Rome), the first National Polar Conference, promoted and coordinated by the CNR in collaboration with ENEA, INGV and OGS. The initiative - dedicated to the Arctic, Antarctica and the Third Pole - will be held until Wednesday 7 October, and brings together for the first time the Italian scientific community involved in the polar regions.

Several themes were at the center of the three-day conference: the great challenges linked to climate change, geopolitics, security, and governance of these extreme areas and the role of research in decision-making processes. The objective is to provide a White Paper with elements of direction and support for future national strategies and international initiatives to political decision makers, with whom the presidents of the organizing bodies will meet on 7 October, in a morning open to the media to share the main results and contents that emerged during the Conference.

"The scientific presence in the Arctic, in Antarctica and in the Third Pole of the National Research Council is aimed at understanding phenomena that have implications for the entire Earth System. The National Polar Conference was created with the aim of strengthening our ability to create a system and connect skills, encouraging dialogue between the scientific community, research bodies and institutions. We are particularly pleased to host this comparison aimed at developing a common strategy", declares the President of the CNR Andrea Lenzi.

"The polar conference that opens today represents an important moment of discussion between entities that have been collaborating for decades in extreme environments, where cooperation is the essential key to carrying out research activities. In this context, ENEA plays a central role, managing the infrastructures, logistics and organizing expeditions to Antarctica at the service of the entire scientific community", observes ENEA President Francesca Mariotti.

“We are here today to strengthen the dialogue between the scientific community and the institutions and together build a shared vision on the future of Italian polar research,” comments INGV President Fabio Florindo. “INGV is pleased to contribute to this Conference together with CNR, ENEA and OGS, making available its expertise in the study of the Earth System and its experience in polar environments”.