Futures of Natural Resources: The 24th international Futures Conference of Finland Futures Research Centre

In June 2024, Finland Futures Research Centre, together with partners Finland Futures Academy and National Resources Institute Finland welcomed participants to Turku, Finland for its 24th international futures research conference. The conference is one of the biggest annual research conferences within the field of futures studies and foresight, and it always attracts participants from all around the world.

This year’s conference focused on questions of what futures research provides for the sustainable management of natural resources, both for water and land.

A diverse set of keynotes and workshop sessions

During both the online day and the two days of onsite sessions, participants had the opportunity to attend a variety of keynotes, paper sessions, and workshops highlighting issues of sustainability, resources, and the need for transformations in uncertain futures. For example, Professor Gianluca Brunori, University of Pisa (IT), advocated for food system transformations in times of permacrisis, Dr. Katriina Soini, Luke (FI), discussed cultural pathways for sustainable use of natural resources, Dr. Åsa Svenfelt, Linköping University (SE), talked about futures beyond consumption, while Dr. Rafael Popper, adjunct professor in both Warsaw University of Technology (PL) and University of Turku (FI) gave an insightful view into the significance and potential of the forest-based bioeconomy as illuminated by an extensive roadmap-based foresight project.

The conference also hosted a Millenium Project Special Session on paradoxes of work that was introduced by an onsite keynote from Jerome Glenn, CEO of the Millennium Project. The workshop session is well-documented in a newly published FFRC eBook.

Launching a ‘Mosaic of Futures Studies’

Another conference highlight was the launch of a new anthology of Our World of Futures Studies as a Mosaic (openly accessible in digital format at bit.ly/worldasmosaic). The book introduces approaches to futures studies and foresight from different parts of the globe, appreciating and learning from the different contexts. While explicitly claiming that it is an introduction, rather than an all-encompassing description of the field, it provides a glimpse into the diversity of the field across five different continents. To name a few examples, the book discusses the history and development of foresight in Germany, insights on anticipation initiatives in Morocco, and the state of long-term thinking in Latin American governments.

Onwards to ‘25

As this year’s conference concluded, attention was again turned towards the future. Planning is already underway for next year’s conference, namely Futures of Technologies: Mutual Shaping of Socio-Technical Transformations,  a celebratory 25th edition. The Futures Conference 2025 will be organized on 10-12 June 2025 onsite in Turku, Finland, and in collaboration with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. A call for papers will be available in October 2024 with a tentative deadline for abstracts 31 January 2025. Interested parties are welcome to submit papers or workshops or simply to attend the event as participants.

For more information, feel free to reach out to the author Mikkel Knudsen through the platform or to conference organizers at futuresconference@utu.fi.