Convening and integrating knowledge systems

The 2022 Global Futures Conference was designed to establish a new set of must-have priorities and corresponding must-do actions to reset humanity’s balance with the planet. The initial report from the 2022 conference was shared at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Delegates applauding the signature ceremony, ratification by the European Union of the Paris Agreement signing in 2016.

© European Union 2016 - European Parliament.

An enterprise unlike any other, the Global Futures Laboratory brings academia, government, NGOs and industry together to discover, ideate and innovate.

Together, we are creating global solutions that transcend the limitations of past efforts and deliver on the promise of real change. This unique potential has been recognized through the development of partnerships with prominent, like-minded global entrepreneurs.

In September 2022, the Global Futures Laboratory hosted the inaugural Global Futures Conference with the Earth League in New York, with the goal of setting critical actions for global transformational change. More than 200 global stakeholders actively participated in this conference.

Global Futures Laboratory work is deployed across five core spaces

Discovery

Through research, we understand Earth’s systems and project into the future. Leveraging the tools and expertise of transdisciplinary research institutes, centers and facilities across Arizona State University and our global network of research partners, the Global Futures Laboratory generates new ideas to solve problems. The units that work across this space include the Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet, the Global KAITEKI Center, the Knowledge Exchange for Resilience and the Humanities Lab, among many others.

Learning

A pioneer in transmitting knowledge to diverse audiences according to their needs and priorities, the Global Futures Laboratory works synergistically with leading schools across the university and around the world to provide education and training opportunities at all stages of learning within and outside of academia. The evolution of discovery and learning across environmental science, sustainability, responsible innovation and complex systems drove the creation of the four transdisciplinary first-oftheir-kind schools housed within the College of Global Futures: The School of Sustainability, the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, the School of Complex Adaptive Systems and the School of Ocean Futures.

Solutions

The Global Futures Laboratory is configured to address problems with urgency and provide solutions on a local-to-global scale, working directly with most affected communities. These practical solutions are developed and applied with partners through programs such as the Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service, LightWorks®, the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions and the UREx Sustainability Research Network. Active solutions already in place include the Mechanical Tree™ developed in partnership with Carbon Collect Ltd., Holistic Water Solutions developed through USAID and microgrid solutions developed through the Laboratory for Energy and Power Solutions.

Engagement

In order to drive real change, the Global Futures Laboratory convenes, listens to, and works with communities and organizations so that we can integrate on-the-ground, practical knowledge and experiences. By engaging with policymakers, business owners and community members, we generate realistic, sustainable solutions that can have positive impact. This exchange takes place through conferences, festivals, narrative development and storytelling, gamification and interaction with ASU’s Decision Theater.

Networks

To achieve a critical mass of intellectual resources needed to address challenges, the Global Futures Laboratory partners with leading institutions around the world such as the United Nations, Conservation International, The Earth League, The Sustainability Consortium, the New Carbon Economy Consortium, Vital Voices and the International Leadership Institute.

A laboratory designed for a thriving future

Institutional structures created hundreds of years ago have not been successful at solving complex 21st century challenges. The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory is organized to optimize impact across the five core spaces of discovery, learning, solutions, engagement and networks.