· The initiative promoted by the Association of Spanish Foundations counts with more than 170 signatories.
· The goal of the Pact is to bring together the Foundations to promote awareness and actions to face the climate crisis.
June 5th is designated World Environment Day by the United Nations. Since 1973, this date has helped to raise awareness and generate political momentum around concerns such as the depletion of the ozone layer, toxic chemicals, desertification and global warming. Almost 50 years later, this date is still in our calendars to remind us that we are not doing enough to face a planetary emergency, with global warming temperatures, and air, land and water pollution that are threatening life in our planet.
In 2020, a group of Spanish Foundations presented the “Climate Emergency and Social Justice Pact” as a basic document to promote a movement of action and awareness for Spanish foundations to activate and promote an active fight to face the climate crisis and the inequalities it generates. Recently, BIST joined the current almost two hundred Foundations based in Spain which support this Pact (#FundacionesPorElClima). Among them, also the BIST Board of Trustees member Banc de Sabadell Foundation, and the BIST centre ICIQ. The Pact is structured in seven pillars including education, dedicated funding, innovation and being sustainable when conducting our activities. The Spanish initiative is part of the global movement #PhilanthropyForClimate.
Environmental sustainability is one of BIST’s research priorities. Our research tries to both understand the phenomena behind environmental challenges and provide science-based solutions for them. Furthermore, BIST has made an explicit commitment to sustainability by taking individual and collective action to save energy, reduce and manage waste properly, and diminish our carbon footprint, which reinforces our position as responsible members of society. A dedicated BIST Working Group with representatives from the seven BIST centres and core team works to establish protocols and indicators across all BIST centres to keep reducing the environmental impact of our activities.