As biophysicists, we know better than anyone else that, on this planet, there is no such thing as a free lunch! Given that our Universe is one where mass and energy are conserved and entropy is always increasing, we understand that, here on Earth, one cannot make something from nothing. Therefore, absolute sustainability—indefinite growth, or even maintenance of the current situation—is aspirational only. How can we reconcile such fundamental principles with the desire to survive and continue to thrive as a species?
Defining a sustainable future. A more practical aspiration is for progress that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This currently prevalent definition was articulated in 1987 by the United Nations Brundtland Commission. Since then, all the 191 United Nations Member States have pledged to an action plan for sustainability, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It represents the most realistic and effective pathway to a sustainable future by aiming to end poverty, to protect the planet, and to resolve inequities.
Specifically, the Agenda articulates 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Included among these goals are ending poverty and hunger; ensuring good health and well-being; achieving gender equality and reducing inequities; safeguarding clean water and clean energy; taking action to preserve the climate and the biosphere on land and water; making communities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable; and adopting responsible consumption and production. Achieving these goals requires effective coordination, mobilization, and deployment of resources, including discovering and communicating new knowledge, training a highly skilled and informed workforce, and creating innovative solutions.
Why should BPS invest in sustainable future initiatives and programs? The short answer is because it is the right thing to do. In addition, the mission, vision, and values upheld by BPS require that we bring our collective expertise, global authority, creativity, and innovative power to bear on the challenge of a sustainable future.
The BPS vision is “to harness the full potential of biophysics to seek knowledge, improve the human condition, and preserve the planet for future generations.” As leaders, it is incumbent upon us to create opportunities for our members to engage in effective ways with sustainability efforts. As global players, we are perfectly positioned to represent a powerful partner in the world-wide effort to achieve sustainability. Moreover, our dedication to scientific excellence; integrity and transparency; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and community building endows us with the credibility, authority, and expertise to contribute in meaningful ways to achieving many of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
How can BPS contribute to a sustainable future? The BPS Council posed this exact question to the newly formed Committee on Sustainability (COS; https://www.biophysics.org/about-bps/governance/committees), charging the committee “to develop strategies and coordinate activities that support member engagement with sustainability research, support member transition into sustainable research, and harmonize some of the policies of BPS with the objectives of sustainable development.” Over the past year, the committee has met monthly to develop and articulate short- and long-term objectives and programs to achieve these goals.
One of the first lines of action is to raise awareness within the BPS community. At the 2025 BPS Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, it will be my privilege to moderate the first “President’s Symposium: Biophysics for a Sustainable Future.” Working together with my colleagues from the COS, we developed a program that we hope will inform, inspire, and stimulate our members to engage more effectively with sustainability goals, whether by developing new research projects, by reorganizing their labs to be more energy wise, or by advocating in a more powerful way for a sustainable future.
Steven Chu, Nobel laureate and the 12th US Secretary of Energy, has graciously agreed to kick off this symposium. He will emphasize the essential role that biophysics, and therefore biophysicists, can play in finding viable solutions. Next, we will hear about funding opportunities for biophysics research related to sustainability goals, and about means to create a culture of sustainability in the lab. The symposium will also include research presentations from biophysicists who have already developed successful research programs that inform sustainability goals. Join us Sunday morning, February 16, for this inaugural event and then that afternoon for a panel discussion sponsored jointly by the COS and the Public Affairs Committee (PAC), where you can engage in a more direct conversation about funding opportunities in research related to sustainability.
How can you engage in activities for a sustainable future? I posed this question to Emmanuel Margeat, who chairs the newly formed COS. He told me that the committee is actively seeking junior members. He explains, “We are encouraging Early Career and Student Members of BPS to join us on the Committee on Sustainability or to participate in one of our working groups. We want to make sure the voices of the younger generations are heard as our Society works towards a sustainable future for biophysics.”
To express interest, or with any questions or suggestions related to how BPS can support our members to engage with sustainability goals, please contact me at [email protected] or staff at [email protected]. We want to hear from you. I hope you will join us at the “President’s Symposium: Biophysics for a Sustainable Future” on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 10:45 AM, and for the COS/PAC
panel discussion “Sustainability in Scientific Research” at 2:30 PM that afternoon.
In today’s highly interconnected and complex world, sustainability requires concerted, deliberate, and global efforts. Let’s ensure that biophysicists are part of the solution.
With warm wishes for a safe, healthy, joyful, and sustainable holiday season,
—Gabriela K. Popescu, President