All authorities and the science and education sector of St. Petersburg are involved in the Year of Science and Technology, said Andrei Maksimov, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Science and Higher Education, at a news conference at the Host City Media Center. The city will host 740 events, including conferences, forums, seminars, workshops, quests and exhibitions.
"Currently, more than 25 percent of the events have been held despite the pandemic," Maksimov said and added that many of them are taking place in a blended or online format.
In 2021, the city has yet to host the St. Petersburg International Innovation Forum, the St. Petersburg International Youth Forum, the Week of Science and Professional Education in St. Petersburg, and the Assembly of Young Scientists and Specialists.
Maksimov recalled that in 2022, St. Petersburg will hold the International Congress of Mathematicians, the right to host which Russia won in a bid. He stressed that it is like the Olympic Games, but for mathematicians.
"We expect over 5,000 participants in 2022, and over 15,000 participants in an expanded format," Maksimov said.
Vice President and member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrei Adrianov said that the Russian Academy of Sciences is actively involved in developing a federal program on environmental security and climate change.
"Science is facing the challenge of trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 70 percent of the 1990 level by 2030 and determining the maximum absorption capacity of our natural ecosystems, especially our forests," he said.
The most urgent task, according to the scientist, is to create and refine a national climate monitoring system for natural ecosystems and to develop a national greenhouse gas accounting system.
The special role of our country in solving environmental problems is determined by its resources. Adrianov called Russia not only the lungs of the planet, but also its "gills," since in addition to vast forests, our country also has 7.5 million square kilometers of marine areas.
"These are cold, highly productive waters, where a huge amount of organic matter is produced due to the activity of phytoplankton as a result of photosynthesis," he stressed.
The contribution of ocean phytoplankton to the release of oxygen, according to various estimates, ranges from 50 to 70 percent. Therefore, Russia, as Adrianov emphasized, serves as the keeper of the planet's lungs and gills.
