Trialogue Days: Experimenting with a New Format for Scientific Engagement

Unlike traditional conferences where researchers often present within their niche areas, the Trialogue Days encouraged participants to step outside their specializations. Some scientists initially questioned why they had been invited, uncertain of their role in discussions far removed from their primary expertise. But that diversity was the point: tackling planetary health requires insights from multiple perspectives.

Addressing interconnected challenges requires collaboration across disciplines, from environmental science and public health to agriculture and policy, to develop sustainable, systemic solutions.

Connecting different disciplines

To foster meaningful exchanges, participants were introduced to one another ahead of the event, giving them time to build rapport and begin exploring ideas. By the time they met in person, conversations flowed easily, ideas sparked, and collaboration felt natural. This early connection helped generate thoughtful and dynamic discussions during the in-person sessions. 

One group even used their early interactions to create a skit on decarbonization, exploring the issue from multiple perspectives. Their performance traced the invisible threads between personal well-being, urban infrastructure, and global systems – how a restless night, weighed down by heat and poor air quality, could ripple into decisions, movements, and policies. As the scene unfolded, the question was not just about one person’s struggle, but about the systemic patterns shaping entire cities: what happens when a warming world starts dictating the rhythms of daily life, from work to mobility to health? The skit blurred disciplines, showing how urban planning, law, and climate science are not separate domains but interlocking forces shaping the future. 

Through the Trialogue Days, discussions organically bridged fields: another special segment unraveled the interplay between economics, behavioural psychology, and the media’s influence on planetary health.