On March 24, Korea University (KU) announced its success in hosting the Nature Conference in 2021. This is the first time a university in Korea succeeded in the placing of the conference independently with Nature, an international scientific publishing company known for its Nature journals. The conference titled “Waste Management and Valorization for a Sustainable Future” will be taking place at KU from October 26 to 28, 2021.

The conference aims to find new methods to manage and increase the value of waste materials whilst advancing related research in the field. Notably, around 500 researchers from 30 countries are anticipated to join the meeting to discuss the United Nations (UN) goals for sustainable development.

As the Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit is also taking place in South Korea, more attention is expected to gather toward the Nature Conference. Professor Ok Yong Sik (Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering), the head of KU Korea Biocar Research Center, stated that considerable effort is currently being made in order to realize the UN goals for sustainable development. He added that the conference holds great significance in that it will enable environmental discussions at a national level.