Down to Earth – Welcoming Geographers from Around the World to Cologne
32nd International Geographical Congress at the University of Cologne, 26 – 30 August 2012
The world congress for geographers finally returns to Germany after
more than 100 years. True to the event’s slogan “Down
to Earth”, more than 2,300 geographers from all around the world
will be gathering in Cologne from 26 – 30 August 2012 for the
International Geographical Congress (IGC) to discuss some of the most
pressing issues faced by humankind today. In addition to the
field’s leading thinkers, the programme will include keynote
lectures from Dr. Klaus Töpfer (former Federal Minister of
Environmental Affairs and Former Executive Director of UNEP), Dr.
Martin Lees (Club of Rome) and Dr. Eduardo de Mulder (UNESCO
International Year of Planet Earth). Congress events will be held at
the University of Cologne.
Four core themes have been identified for this year’s Congress:
Global change and Globalization, Society and Environment, Risks and
Conflict, and Urbanization and Demographic Change. These topics
will be covered in the main lectures. Over the course of the week, more
than 400 specialist sessions will explore – and find answers to -
questions such as…
- What are the impacts of global change on our environment and our health?
- What can be done to prevent natural disasters?
- What does the sustainable city of the future look like?