With the mass adoption and increasing popularity of mobile equipment, coupled with the development of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, our world is entering the era of digitalization. Bell Labs predicted that the penetration rate of digital technology in the United States will increase sharply from 20% to 60% by 2030.

On the other hand, the United Nations has proposed 17 key goals under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to not only work towards global sustainable development, but to take this opportunity to lead governments, local governments, businesses, citizen groups and other social agents, to come out with decisions, investment plans and to develop a course of action over the next 15 years, with the aim to develop a sustainable vision that would see to it that the social needs of global citizens can be achieved under the environmental carrying capacity.

Therefore, how digitalization can aid in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a topic that the international research community is paying close attention to. To this end, the well-known Germany Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) has planned to publish their flagship publication next year, the 'Digitization and the Transformation towards Sustainability', to explore how we can develop governance structures to effectively respond to the potential impact that digitalization can bring to the environment, labor market and income inequality.

As such, we are pleased to invite the renowned Scientific Director at the International Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) Prof. Ortwin Renn, and Head of Strategic Research Initiatives and Programmes Prof. Ilan Chabay to share their thoughts and insights on the topic of digitalization and sustainability transitions.

Dr.Ortwin Renn

Prof. Ortwin Renn specializes in risk governance, and was elected president of the International Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and also received its Distinguished Achievement Award.

Since 2017, IASS has launched a series of research related to digitalization, including 'Digitalization and Impacts on Sustainability', and 'Sustainability Management 4.0 - Transformative Potentials of Networked Manufacturing for Humans, the Environment and Technology', and other projects.

At this upcoming conference, Prof. Ortwin Renn will present his preliminary findings on his research related to digitalization and sustainability transitions, and propose reforms to governance structures using the concept of risk governance, in order to promote digitalization that will aid in sustainability transitions.

Dr. Ilan Chabay

Prof. Ilan Chabay is Head of Strategic Science Initiatives and Programs and the knowledge, learning, and societal change research alliance (www.KLASICA.org) at IASS, and Adjunct Professor in the School of Sustainability of Arizona State University (ASU).

Since 2016, he has been involved in The World in 2050 research, a well-known research among the scientific community, which aims to develop a sustainable development pathway within the limits of the Earth to achieve the sustainable development goals. In July 2018, he launched the report, 'Transformations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals', at the United Nations High-level Political Forum. The report lists science, technology and innovations (STI) among the six key transformation actions to drive global SDGs, and pointed out the need to implement forward-looking roadmaps and governance structures, so as to leverage on the overall benefits that the STI revolution can bring.

At this conference, Prof. Ilan Chabay will introduce the report's recommendations to promote the SDGs, and will also propose policy recommendations on how we can tap on the digital revolution to respond early to the potential negative impact that the STI revolution can bring to employment, class differences and ethics.

Prof. Shiuh-Shen Chien

Prof. Shiuh-Shen Chien obtained his PhD degree from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. He is currently Professor in Geography Development and Urban Studies, and at the International Master/Doctoral Degree Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the National Taiwan University. His research topics cover: Political Economy of Urban and Regional Studies, Critical Eco Smart Urbanism, Global South and International Development, and Vertical and Volume Geography.

Prof. Chien has mainly focused his research on Taiwan, China and other countries in the Global South (such as India), and has conducted comparative analyses and case studies on the political and economic environments in the developmental contexts of these countries. In addition, Prof. Chien is also the advisor for the Taiwan Alliance of International Development (Taiwan AID), and has collaborated with other international development NGO partners in Taiwan to promote the concept of "extending diplomacy into international development", to explore how Taiwan can work with international NGOs to lead Taiwan out of its international predicament through international development and cooperation and using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

At this forum, Prof. Shiuh-Shen Chien will discuss the formulaic and governance strategies used by authoritarian (such as China) and democratic (such as Taiwan) government regimes, theorized as authoritarian smart and democratic smart, respectively, to analyze how human civilization can seize opportunities and meet the challenges as they undergo waves of digitalization, to work together towards global sustainable development.