Space Weather Societal Impacts Workshop and Seminar at the 55th Meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

Abstract

The United States organized and convened a workshop on Space Weather Societal Impacts, held on the margins of the 55th Meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), in Vienna on 8 June 2012. The purpose of this workshop was to focus the attention of space weather experts and member state representatives in the United Nations on the societal impacts of space weather events, with particular attention to the needs of developing nations. Approximately 20 science and policy experts representing more than 10 nations participated in the workshop. In focusing on societal impacts, the workshop helped the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs meet the mandate set forth by the member states in the COPUOS agenda item on the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI). ISWI has enjoyed a great deal of success in implementing research observatories globally but has had less success in articulating the potential societal implications of space weather events. This first workshop on Space Weather Societal Impacts addresses the gap in international appreciation for the hazards attendant in solar activity at the governmental level of member States of the United Nations. The workshop was organized around several themes.