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C08.06 Cold Region Environments
Session: Contextualising climate change: methodological, institutional and regional responses
Chair(s): Tatiana Vlasova & Nancy Doubleday
Abstract:
The goal of this session is to strengthen multi-disciplinary, multi-scale and inter-institutional cooperation in investigation and monitoring of the Arctic change.The Arctic nowadays has gained increased attention due to many considerations and rapid changes. Among them there are: the Arctic is expected to warm at twice the global average rate and climate changes impacts (both positive and negative are more pronounced in the Artic, opening new perspectives and thresholds and having far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and for the people dependent on ecosystem services; the Arctic may serve as an indicator of environmental change and an ‘‘early warning system’’ for other parts of the world; the existence from one side of vast poorly disturbed and less populated areas with high cultural and biological diversity and ethnical specific – from the other side – the increasing interest to the Arctic for new sources of depleting fossil fuel resources; the spread and the improvements in Internet and mobile communication as well as sea ice melting opening new routs, make the remote regions of the Arctic more accessible for settlement and development; the need for experience exchange in elaborating strategies for sustainable development in the Arctic and adaptation to climate changes at different scales. In the era of global climate changes and globalization many new and poorly predicted issues are emerging as well as new perspectives and opportunities are opening in the Arctic. That is why there is a strong need nowadays to increase not only multi-disciplinary research (social and natural sciences synthesis with local and traditional knowledge integration), but to enhance multi-scale geographical approaches(from global to national and local), as well as to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation in observing, investigation and managing Arctic changes in order to increase robustness and resilience of entire human-nature systems at different territorial scales. More and more government, non-government institutes, organizations and programmes both international and national are being involved in the investigation and monitoring of changes happening in the Arctic ( Arctic Council groups and projects, indigenous peoples organizations, IASSA, IASC, UNEP, Polar foundation, WWF, and many other). Geographers, politicians, representatives from local and indigenous people organizations and arctic communities from Arctic and non-Arctic states and regions are invited to take part in this discussion of the changes happening in the Arctic change and propose ways for solutions of appearing issues. Presenters are also encouraged to reflect upon the relevance of their experience and research findings gained during and beyond the IPY 2007-2008. National Geographical Societies and their regional chapters are specially invited to take part in this session discussion and propose their projects to be carried out with the support from the Cold Regions Environment Commission of the International Geographical Union.
Timeslots: 1
Abstract:
The goal of this session is to strengthen multi-disciplinary, multi-scale and inter-institutional cooperation in investigation and monitoring of the Arctic change.The Arctic nowadays has gained increased attention due to many considerations and rapid changes. Among them there are: the Arctic is expected to warm at twice the global average rate and climate changes impacts (both positive and negative are more pronounced in the Artic, opening new perspectives and thresholds and having far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and for the people dependent on ecosystem services; the Arctic may serve as an indicator of environmental change and an ‘‘early warning system’’ for other parts of the world; the existence from one side of vast poorly disturbed and less populated areas with high cultural and biological diversity and ethnical specific – from the other side – the increasing interest to the Arctic for new sources of depleting fossil fuel resources; the spread and the improvements in Internet and mobile communication as well as sea ice melting opening new routs, make the remote regions of the Arctic more accessible for settlement and development; the need for experience exchange in elaborating strategies for sustainable development in the Arctic and adaptation to climate changes at different scales. In the era of global climate changes and globalization many new and poorly predicted issues are emerging as well as new perspectives and opportunities are opening in the Arctic. That is why there is a strong need nowadays to increase not only multi-disciplinary research (social and natural sciences synthesis with local and traditional knowledge integration), but to enhance multi-scale geographical approaches(from global to national and local), as well as to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation in observing, investigation and managing Arctic changes in order to increase robustness and resilience of entire human-nature systems at different territorial scales. More and more government, non-government institutes, organizations and programmes both international and national are being involved in the investigation and monitoring of changes happening in the Arctic ( Arctic Council groups and projects, indigenous peoples organizations, IASSA, IASC, UNEP, Polar foundation, WWF, and many other). Geographers, politicians, representatives from local and indigenous people organizations and arctic communities from Arctic and non-Arctic states and regions are invited to take part in this discussion of the changes happening in the Arctic change and propose ways for solutions of appearing issues. Presenters are also encouraged to reflect upon the relevance of their experience and research findings gained during and beyond the IPY 2007-2008. National Geographical Societies and their regional chapters are specially invited to take part in this session discussion and propose their projects to be carried out with the support from the Cold Regions Environment Commission of the International Geographical Union.
Timeslots: 1
Session: Connecting Changes in Peri-glacial Regions, Permafrost and People
Chair(s): Nancy Doubleday & Tatiana Vlasova
Abstract:
Connecting Changes in Peri-glacial Regions, Permafrost and People is essential to understanding environmental change and health and well-being in cold regions. It demands an integrated framework for understanding environmental and social change. Creating change-oriented approaches to health and well-being is of necessity a complex task. For this reason, a full spectrum of geographies is sought for this session. Consideration of the application of resilience frameworks is also welcome. The panelists will present short papers and then discuss the problems of integration of knowledge of the interactions of people and cold region environments across scales. Ideally the discussion will provide outlines for a set of papers illustrating best practices for cold region knowledge integration, as well as locating a self-identified group of people willing to collaborate to contribute future synthesis papers.
Timeslots: 2
Abstract:
Connecting Changes in Peri-glacial Regions, Permafrost and People is essential to understanding environmental change and health and well-being in cold regions. It demands an integrated framework for understanding environmental and social change. Creating change-oriented approaches to health and well-being is of necessity a complex task. For this reason, a full spectrum of geographies is sought for this session. Consideration of the application of resilience frameworks is also welcome. The panelists will present short papers and then discuss the problems of integration of knowledge of the interactions of people and cold region environments across scales. Ideally the discussion will provide outlines for a set of papers illustrating best practices for cold region knowledge integration, as well as locating a self-identified group of people willing to collaborate to contribute future synthesis papers.
Timeslots: 2