Our current ways of living pose problems for our future. We know that we have to rethink and change them. Besides, as young people from all over the world, you have different perspectives to offer which, brought together, can spring concrete solution models.

Which lifestyle do I support for today – tomorrow – the future? How can the individual live? In which aspects are politics, economy and civil society responsible for the organisation of a humane life? Doesn’t the wish for a future socially and ecologically secured belong to the catalogue of human rights?

Coming from all around the world, experts, representatives of sustainable ways of living and young people will come together to draft a common position paper on the topic “Youth and Sustainability in Everyday Life – Challenge, Rethink and Revive Global Ways of Living” .

The conference will provide the platform to present global and regional perspectives of world wide experiences on the responses of water management to global change in order to address issues such as variability in supply, increasing demands for water, environmental flows, and land use change. It will help to build links between science and policy and practice in the area of water resources management and governance, related institutional and technological innovations and identify in which ways research can assist policy and practice in the field of sustainable freshwater management.

Participants from all continents and dealing with various water-related problems are expected to attend this conference.

The CCRR-2013 conference brings together international experts to discuss the state-of-the art and future directions in regional responses to climate change impacts on natural, social and economic systems.
The event includes contributions from national and international climate change and adaptation research as well as from practitioners and policy makers. Current research findings and local/regional experience and results will be presented. Conference papers shall be published as special issues or a refereed anthology.
A Young Researchers Forum, held as part of the conference, focuses on "How to adapt to regional climate change? Ideas and examples from all perspectives of science". The forum will provide opportunity for young researchers to share and discuss their work. The most enticing presentation(s) and idea(s) will be especially honoured.

Conference Topics

The conference addresses

• Challenges of regional climate change impacts and adaptation in various sectors of private and public action,
• Theory and practice of developing sectorial and integrated adaptation programs,
• Implementation-related issues of programs and options.

Contributions on concrete scientific findings and practical experience with regard to analyzing, evaluating and, where appropriate, mitigating effects, particularly in the following fields of research and action are welcome:

• Modelling climate change – downscaling and uncertainty
• Bioclimatic impacts and public health
• Changing climate – changing air quality?
• Development and maintenance of the built environment and green spaces in urban areas
• Integrated assessment and management strategies in agriculture and forestry
• Urban water systems and regional water balance
• Nature conservation
• Economic and societal macro trends – framework for the implementation of regional adaptation measures
• Adaptation strategies for industry sectors
• Regional adaptation strategies
• Implementing adaptation programs and options – best practice

IMPACTS WORLD 2013 is a discussion-based conference designed to tackle four fundamental challenges:

1. Do the pieces fit together?

Climate change will have impacts in a wide range of sectors belonging to both the natural and socio-economic sphere.

• How can we improve our understanding of interactions and feedbacks between sectors and of cascading effects across sector boundaries?
• Which mechanisms, sectors and regions have not been the subject of significant research efforts so far? How do we close these research gaps?

2. Can we be sure?

Usability and credibility of climate impacts research depends heavily on an understanding of the robustness of impact projections.

• How can we improve the observational basis for impacts already being experienced?
• How can we ensure a rigorous validation and quality-check of impacts models and quantify the various contributions to uncertainty?

3. Do we need a million case studies?

For informed decision making, details of climate impacts must be provided at the appropriate geographic scale. From a global perspective, hot spots should be identified. Knowledge should be aggregated based on regional studies.

• How can we establish representative sets of comparative regional case studies?
• What are appropriate metrics to compare the same sector across different regions or different sectors in the same region?

4. Is anybody listening?

Research provides crucial information to global, regional, national and local policy makers and practitioners, to help in devising effective mitigation and adaptation policies.

How can we make our research results intelligible and concise, especially for policy and decision makers and the wider public?

The 3rd Climate Change Technology Conference (CCTC 2013) is a Canadian and international forum for the exchange of ideas for dealing with climate change. It is also an opportunity to keep abreast of emerging techniques and technologies for the mitigation of, and adaptation to, the impacts of climate change.

Preannouncement

Organized by:
Co-organised by the Institute of Geography University of Neuchâtel and Prof. Richard Black, University of Sussex

Contact Information:
Raoul Kaenzig
University of Neuchâtel
E-Mail: raoul.kaenzig[at]unine.ch

At the 3rd Policy Forum interactive working sessions will focus on:

• Introduction and discussions on the final draft of the BSR Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and first draft of the accompanying Action Plan;
• Discussions on the coherence between the BSR Climate Adaptation Strategy and the EU respective strategy
• Financing adaptation measures
• Climate change adaptation and civil protection; follow-up workshop with EUSBSR PA Secure
• EU SBSR and the North-West Russia Development Strategy – mainstreaming climate change Participants of this Policy Forum will be high level policy makers and representatives from relevant national ministries, the European Commission, international and regional organizations and academic institutions in the field of climate change and adaptation from across the Baltic Sea Region.

The meeting will suggest a follow-up process on how to further develop and negotiate the proposal on a climate change adaptation strategy for the BSR until it is ready for adoption by member states. The project and organising partners have financial resources for the organisation and implementation of the overall event. However, there are very limited possibilities to finance travel and accommodation for key-note speakers, moderators and facilitators.

- nur geladene Gäste -

Der Klimawandel ist Realität. Wie er sich regional auswirkt, ist wissenschaftlich noch nicht abschließend erforscht. Die Entscheidungsträger in Politik und Gesellschaft müssen trotzdem schon heute Vorsorge treffen. Ziel der Veranstaltung ist aus Sicht der Forschung darauf hinzuweisen, welche Veränderungen der Hauptstadtregion in Zukunft bevorstehen und wie man sich auf diese vorbereiten kann.
Zum Thema diskutieren:
Dipl. Meteorologin Ursel Behrens, Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Niederlassung Potsdam
Prof. Dr. Reiner Brunsch, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik (ATB), Potsdam-Bornim
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Hüttl, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Potsdam
Frau Staatssekretärin Kathrin Schneider, Ministerium für Infrastruktur und Landwirtschaft (MIL)
Prof. Dr. Manfred Stock, Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (PIK) e. V.

Moderation:
Sven Oswald, Journalist und Autor

Diversity of thoughts and approaches is at the very core of the Resilient Cities congresses. Participants coming from a wide array of backgrounds are given the opportunity to take an active part in exchanging strategies and sharing experiences.

Topics:

- Risk and vulnerability
- Adaption and resilience planning and policy making
- Multi-stakeholder and community-based collaboration
- Governance
- Implementing specific adaption solutions
- Financing resilience
- Resilient Urban Food Systems

The conference on water and environment research is an independent platform providing scientists with a possibility to present and discuss their work in the fields of hydrology, environmental research, aquatic ecosystem research, water resources research and management as well as global change. The focus of the 6th conference is set on fostering an integrative understanding of water and the environment. It brings together physical, biological, chemical, statistical, socioeconomic and technical expertise in order to discuss solutions for transient environmental boundary conditions.

The 6th ICWRER conference is jointly organised with the European sediment network SedNet. SedNet will organise a special full-day symposium that addresses sediment processes at the catchment scale. Sources of sediments in river basins are manifold and often affect multiple management objectives in many locations. Transfer pathways between source and impact are often long and complex. Mobilisation and movement of sediment is often associated with high energy and high flow events, with few monitoring programmes adequately addressing this part of the flow range. Meanwhile, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) stipulates a water resources management at the catchment scale.

The 6th ICWRER will also provide an explicit platform for research on climate change and variability and possible impacts on our infrastructure and related economic activities. KLIWAS is a major German research programme on climate change that covers aspects from impact studies to adaptation potential. KLIWAS will organise special sessions on climate related topics and invites scientists working on climate and water to participate.

The conference will address these topics while openly discussing methodologies such as uncertainty analysis, new statistical models, regionalisation, new measurement techniques etc. with invited experts. The conference aims at encouraging young scientists to play an active part in shaping the future of water and environment research.