2024 AGU ELECTIONS

Jean Pierre Ometto

AGU Board of Directors

International Secretary

Bio

Senior Researcher, National Institute for Space Research, São José dos Campos, Brazil

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices, and perspectives. List any identities, voices, and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

I'm from Brazil, working at a Public Research Institute; for several years I've acted as a Brazilian Representative with the InterAmerican Institute for Climate Change Research Conference of Parties and Executive Council which allowed me in-depth contact with several countries in the Americas, their cultures, voices and science development. More recently I've been working with the interface of science, society and policy in climate change, social and environmental vulnerability, adaptation options, and capacity building. Some of these activities involve local stakeholders and local communities. I’m a Franco-Italian descendant, but Brazil is a multicultural and multi-racial country, with a blend of Indigenous, African, Asian and European descendants, nevertheless, an unequal society that needs broad thinking, actions, collaboration, capacity building and strong transformation to provide opportunities and social justice.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

Most of my volunteer experience is related to academic and scientific activities, either teaching or acting in programs, networks and events to spread scientific knowledge. Some examples of the volunteer activities I'm involved in are acting as Vice-Coordinator of the Brazilian Network for Climate Change Research, helping connect the scientific community with other societal actors; bringing climate change and sustainability and behavior transformation concepts to second-grade students.

Q&A

AGU’s strategic plan recognizes our community is diverse and global, and calls for empowering broad and inclusive partnerships to help solve society’s most complex challenges. How will you foster and strengthen global relationships to further AGU’s values, vision, mission, and goals?

I consider respect and collaboration are fundamental values for managing diverse perspectives among individual Board members to effectively accomplish the Board's objectives. The team functions optimally when members are committed to the primary goals of the Board. While personal ideas are encouraged and contribute to a healthy exchange, they may not necessarily represent the sole perspective on a specific subject. Therefore, establishing common ground is crucial, which may involve considering a combination of viewpoints but not always. Additionally, collaboration, working collectively, flexibility, and effective communication are vital aspects of the Board's activities. Hence, central to the Board's functioning is the respect for diverse approaches to addressing issues, while ensuring alignment with the primary objectives of the Board and the AGU mission.

Section affiliations:

Biogeosciences; Global Environmental Change; Science and Society