Global climate change emergency leads to first World Forum on Climate Justice
Elsevier and the Glasgow Caledonian University Centre for Climate Justice are pleased to announce a partnership that will provide the platform to discuss the impacts of climate change on weather forecasting, people trafficking and growing spread of mosquito-borne malaria, among other topics, at the first World Forum on Climate Justice, June 19-21, 2019 at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU).
This inaugural conference brings together an outstanding line-up of international speakers, led by Mary Robinson, Kerry Kennedy and Professor Tahseen Jafry. Difficult conversations around the current and future impact of climate change on the world's societies and economies will be explored, to aid further promotion and collaboration about the latest science and thinking as to how these issues can be tackled.
Around one hundred short talks will cover the diverse challenges posed by climate change: from the impact on fair access to food and water to the spread of diseases like malaria; the growing vulnerability of communities to extreme weather events; and the resulting challenges on migration and population displacement. This Forum brings a diverse range of expertise in the emerging field of Climate Justice together for the first time to consider the impact climate change is already having on people and their communities across the world.
Mary Robinson's international leadership, through her Foundation, has done much to raise the profile of Climate Justice. She was among the first to recognize the droughts, floods or sea-level rise linked to climate change will affect every country on the planet, but not everyone will be impacted in the same way. Her opening address will highlight the ever-more disproportionate burden on the poorest and the politically and socio-economically marginalized.
"We cannot place our faith in future technologies to fix this problem," said Conference Chair and Director of GCU's Centre for Climate Justice, Professor Tahseen Jafry. "Addressing this widening disparity and the resulting climate injustice requires a concerted, collaborative effort across disciplines and I believe this Forum will help deliver that.
"I am excited to bring together so many leading researchers from the international scientific community and NGOs. We have been overwhelmed by the interest in this new event and it will be an important platform for fostering collaboration, networking and wider engagement in climate justice."
Keynote speakers include
- Mary Robinson, Mary Robinson Foundation—Climate Justice, Republic of Ireland;Talk: Climate Justice: The way to accelerate ambition for a safe world
- Penelope Endersby, Chief Executive, Met Office, UK;Talk: Contributing to climate justice through accurate predictions and in-country capacity development
- Patrick Bond, Professor of Political Economy, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa;Talk: Conceptual and strategic conflicts within climate justice
- Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, USA;Talk: Title to be announced
- Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex, UK;Talk: Decarbonisation and its discontents: A critical justice perspective on four low-carbon transitions
- Yifat Susskind, Executive Director, MADRE, USA;Talk: Weathering the storm, Seeding the future: A women's vision for climate justice
- Kevin Bales, Professor of Contemporary Slavery, University of Nottingham, UK;Talk: Slavery in the Anthropocene: the vicious cycle of slavery, ecocide, climate change, and supply chains
- Kristie L. Ebi, Professor of Global Health, University of Washington, USA;Talk: Health risks of a changing climate can increase climate injustice
Provided by Elsevier
