GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE:CHALLENGES TO SCIENCE AND SOCIETY IN SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
Sofia 19 — 21 May 2008Topics and subtopics:
Global change is the term used to encompass a multitude of environmental and ecological changes that have been noticed, measured and studied on Earth. Global environmental change encompasses the study of climate change, species extinction, land use change, changes in the carbon cycle and hydrologic cycle, air quality, etc.
Global Environmental Changes and Climate Change in Southeastern Europe (SEE)
– Climate Change: Includes research papers on global, regional (especially SEE) and local (particularly in SEE) climate variability and change – in the past, present and future; observations, indices and indicators, models, scenarios, trends, theories
– Global Change: Includes research papers on global, regional (especially SEE) and local (particularly in SEE) environmental changes (beyond climate change) – in the past, present and future; observations, indices and indicators, models, scenarios, trends, theories.
– Environmental Impacts: Includes research papers on global change (including climate change) impacts on global, regional and local environmental issues such as water resources, forests, agriculture, various terrestrial and managed ecosystems
Impacts on Society and Economy
– Includes research papers on global change (including climate change) Impacts on Global, Regional and Local Scales in Respect to Society and Economy; e.g. Impacts on human health, insurance services, infrastructure, financial and commodity markets (e.g. of agricultural production), industry, etc. These effects may be direct or an indirect result of environmental impacts.
– Global Change and Private Sector: In the era of free market economy in SEE the private sector plays an important role in the socio-economic conditions as well as environmental issues. The impact of private sector activities on global environmental change is expected to increase in the future. At the same time, the private sector seeks clear guidelines under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreements so they can plan for investments and meeting greenhouse gas reduction obligations.
– Global Change and Civil Society: Recently and in the future, SEE will become increasingly sensitive to global change. Beyond the work of scientists and actions of government, civil society has a major stake in such changes, as well as an obligation for information and action to address resulting stress as well as to exploit new opportunities
Global Change and Local Challenges
– Local Challenges: Includes research papers on local challenges as a result of global environmental changes, e.g. necessities of local measures for adaptation and mitigation due to global climate change
– From Global to Local and Vice Versa: Places and regions in aggregate create global change, and global change is experienced in human communities at similar scale. This subtopic addresses the scale differences and linkages between local, regional and global dimensions, including cross-boundary challenges within and between SEE nartions
Important dates and deadlines:
28 February 2008: deadline for pre-registration and abstract submission and application for travel assistance
15 March 2008: Notification of the abstracts acceptance
15 April 2008: Conference programme - 1st draft
15 May 2008: Deadline for full papers submission
Financial support:
Financial support covering travel, hotel and visa expenses will be available for a limited number of participants from Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. In particular young scientists from these countries are encouraged to apply.
Contacts:
Organizing Committee: global_conference@meteo.bg
Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office Sofia (ASO-Sofia)
5 Moskovska Str., BG-1000 Sofia
Tel. +359 2 987 20 69
Fax: +359 2 986 17 54
http://www.aso.zsi.at
Scientific Coordination Center for Global Change of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (SCCGC-BAS)
66 Tzarigradsko shose Blvd., BG-1784 Sofia
Fax: +359 2 988 44 94
E-mail: global_conference@meteo.bg
http://global-change.meteo.bg/global_en.htm
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