Thursday, December 29, 2011

First YES Online Course (Youth Encounter on Sustainability) on SOCIAL BUSINESS STEWARDSHIP


SOCIAL BUSINESS STEWARDSHIP – from Business modeling to impact evaluation

20 February – 23 March 2012

Applications now open – Deadline: 15th January 2012

Dear YES Alumni, dear friends and colleagues,

After 35 YES courses over the past 11 years, realized in 10 countries with some 1300 participants from over 120 countries and all academic disciplines, we are excited to present you today a NEW YES product line with Online courses for YES Alumni and young professionals. This is not to replace our traditional physical courses (for 2012 we plan some 4 18-days basic and 2 special courses), but to offer additional education on special SD issues: inexpensive, easy to do from home, no travel involved, high quality with well selected Faculty and Experts from the chosen field of study.

Our first pilot course in this new series under the leadership of Fabio Segura, Executive Education on Social Stewardship, aims to provide participants with tools, perspectives, and frameworks to model, implement, and evaluate businesses with positive social and environmental impact. Read more in the attached brochure – number of participants limited, early application recommended.

I use this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, good health and a prosperous personal development

in peace, with love and hope
Roger

More information on YES: www.actis-education.ch (new webpage setting online by mid-January 2012 including all course dates)

P.S.: please forward to your networks, interested friends and colleagues

Dr. Roger Baud

Downloads:

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

MaD 2012 - Make a Difference


MaD inspires and empowers young people to be the change. Evolving around creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation and discovery, it supports young people to create positive personal, economic, social and environmental change.

Stepping into our third year, it is time for each of us to play a more active part -- MaD 2012 is about new mind sets for our era, and actions to change our world. By leading or supporting innovative breakthroughs, we can form a creative civil society, powerful enough to reform the present and reshape our future.

MaD 2012 is more than an exciting event. It is a call for reflections and commitment. Share what's on your mind. Let us envision a different future and make it happen.

·         Can we do good with entrepreneurship?
·         Can creativity reshape the world?
·         Can innovation be technological and social?
·         Can Asia develop sustainably?

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS


SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS

MaD@ WEST KOWLOON
A memorable night-out on 07.01.2011 at the city's future cultural hub -- let creativity thrive under the night sky!

The second Make a Difference Award will be announced at the closing of MaD 2012!

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!

Stay tuned at www.MaD.asia for the latest updates.

Echoing Green Announces 2012 Social Entrepreneur Fellowship Program


Echoing Green will award twelve to twenty two-year fellowships to social entrepreneurs around the world in 2012. The fellowships provide start-up capital and technical assistance to help new leaders launch social enterprises and build the capacity of their social enterprise.

The program seeks individuals or partnerships (organizations led by two people) with innovative solutions to significant social problems, strategies designed to create high-impact and sustainable change in people’s lives, and the ability to grow and lead a new organization.

The application process is open to citizens of all nationalities working in any country. Applicants must be fluent enough in English to participate in interviews and Echoing Green events, and must be 18 years of age or older.

Organizations seeking support must be the original idea of the applicant and must be independent, autonomous, and in a start-up phase, which means the applicant may have been running the organization full-time for up to two years, with Echoing Green’s financial support constituting its major/primary early funding. Applicants who have only worked on their organization on a part-time basis or have yet to start an organization are generally considered eligible. Applicants must make a full-time commitment to their organization’s development for the full two years of the fellowship.
Fellows receive up to $80,000 ($90,000 for partnerships of two people) in seed funding over two years as well as other benefits and technical assistance.

Visit the Echoing Green Web site for complete eligibility information, application materials, and profiles of previous fellows and their projects:
http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellowship

Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Sustainability, Development and Peace (in Japan)


Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Sustainability, Development and Peace

The Master of Science (M.Sc.), offered by UNU Institute for Sustainability and Peace, equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to solving global challenges of sustainability, climate change, development, peacebuilding and human rights.

Drawing on an innovative, interdisciplinary approach, the degree integrates both natural and social sciences, and humanities.  Students have the opportunity to gain practical, first-hand experience through internships or field research with a UN agency or other international organization.

The programme builds on UNU’s strong record in training and capacity development and utilizes the extensive network of scholars and academic institutions participating in UNU research. It is intended for recent graduates, professionals and practitioners interested in the unique opportunity of studying at a global university and gaining valuable skills to make decisions and  a professional contribution to the work of the UN, other international organizations, governments, civil society, or the private sector.
Students who earn at least 30 credits, successfully complete a master’s thesis, and pass the final examination will receive a M.Sc. degree.

The standard period of study is two years. The programme starts in September, with students expected to complete all the requirements by July in the second academic year after enrolment.


·         The Japan Foundation for UNU (JFUNU) Scholarship is available for outstanding applicants from developing countries who can demonstrate a need for financial assistance, and they will be considered as candidates for the award of the scholarship.
·         The JFUNU scholarship covers the full tuition fees, and provides a monthly allowance of 150,000 yen* for living expenses for a maximum of 24 months. Travel costs to and from Japan, visa handling fees, and health/accident insurance costs must be covered by the student.
·         Please note that the JFUNU scholarship is highly competitive and offered to a very small number of students who are granted admission to UNU-ISP. Thus, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for other funding opportunities from the government of their own country, private foundations, or international funding agencies.

ALL documents must be received by Admissions Office via post by Wednesday, 29 February 2012

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Call for Papers: Regulatory and Institutional Frameworks for Markets for Ecosystem Services, 6 - 7 June 2012, UK


The Environmental Regulatory Research Group at the School of Law, University of Surrey; the Centre for Environmental Strategy in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey and the Environmental Law Program at The George Washington Law School (with support from the J.B. and Maurice Shapiro Environmental Conference Fund) will host an international interdisciplinary workshop on regulatory and institutional frameworks for markets for ecosystems services to be held at the School of Law, University of Surrey on 6-7 June 2012.

About the topic
There is increasing recognition that using markets to protect and restore ecosystems and their capacity to provide services is crucial to preserving and maintaining biodiversity as well as reducing the impact of human-induced climate change. Whilst the assessment and valuation of these services has received extensive analysis and advanced assessment tools have been developed by conservation biologists different skills must be brought to bear to translate these assessments into institutional and regulatory systems that can protect and enhance ecosystem services. Consequently, mature methods for analysing and establishing robust institutional and regulatory frameworks that can lead to secure market-based conservation practices are still in their early stages of development. It is clear that regulatory and institutional innovation capable of making ecosystem protection profitable for private decision makers and revenue generative for the guardian communities is essential in realising the economic value of those systems and their services; and securing the imperative to protect and restore.

The Workshop
This workshop seeks to contribute to research and learning on the law and policy on ecosystems services by focusing on the regulatory and institutional challenges in creating markets for ecosystems services. Using markets to protect and restore ecosystems–and the many services they provide–is gradually gaining policy and institutional legitimacy. But what are the critical regulatory and institutional considerations? What forms are being pursued to ensure success and ease of adoption? What regulatory and institutional commonalities are emerging; and what are the prospects for converging these? What are the successful institutional and regulatory design features? What challenges remain in order to achieve these?

The workshop goal is to enable outcome-oriented interaction between experts, innovators, and front-end users of these evolving market models to learn about recent progress, what strategies can be adopted to encourage cross-learning between different models for regulatory and institutional frameworks, and how to design new institutional and regulatory mechanisms that can help preserve ecosystem services? The workshop will enable the development of collaborative projects between participants on the elaboration of methodological tools for the development of regulatory and institutional frameworks for ecosystems services.

The program will take place over 2 days at Surrey and will be hosted by eminent scholars and practitioners from around the world–thereby providing comprehensive information and networking opportunities for front-end project developers and managers, landowners, policymakers, and academics.

We seek a range of papers, including those arising from empirically-based fieldwork, action research or reflective and philosophical inquiry that investigates key aspects of regulatory and institutional frameworks for markets for ecosystems services as well as law and policy-based analyses of the advantages and disadvantages of market-based approaches to protecting ecosystem services.

Workshop themes

Some topics of interest include:
·         Critiques of the latest concepts in developing markets for ecosystem services;
·         Examination of international case studies on markets involving ecosystem assets and services;
·         The consideration of questions regarding appropriate avenues of public participation in the design and operation of markets for ecosystems services;
·         Identification of potential partners and investments associated with emerging markets for carbon, water management and biodiversity habitat;
·         Considerations of the role of legitimacy, accountability and equity in institutional and regulatory design
·         Proposals for new legislative or regulatory mechanisms that would place a price on ecosystems services and provide payments to preserve those services
·         Identification of methodologies that highlight institutional and policy lock-ins that prevent markets in ecosystems services from working efficiently and equitably and suggestions for strategies for unpicking those lock-ins.

The workshop is intended to bring together scientists, lawyers, economists and policy makers from academic institutions, government, non-governmental organisations and private business to discuss policy-leading theoretical and practical aspects of the design and maintenance of regulatory and institutional frameworks for markets for ecosystem services.

Confirmed speakers
Prof Alison Clarke, School of Law, University of Surrey, UK
Prof Veerle Heyveart, Law Department, London School of Economics, UK
Prof Ana Maria Nusdeo, Faculty of Law, University of San Paulo, Brazil
Prof Colin Reid, School of Law, Dundee University Law School, UK
Prof Sue White, School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, UK
Dr Stuart Whitten, CSIRO Ecosystems Services, Australia

Submissions
Abstracts for poster presentations, short papers (10 minutes) and research papers (20 minutes) on these themes will be accepted until 31 January 2012. They should be a maximum of 300 words, in English. Please submit your abstract by using the submission form below.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 15 February 2012.
Deadline for registration is 1 May 2012.

Contact
For Call for Papers queries, please contact Dr Thoko Kaime (t.kaime@surey.ac.uk).
For administrative matters, please contact Ms Mirela Dumic (m.dumic@surrey.ac.uk)

Organisers:
Dr Thoko Kaime, Environmental Regulatory Research Group, School of Law, University of Surrey
Dr Jonathan Chenoweth, Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Road to Rio+20: Mobilising Asia Pacific youth for promoting sustainable mountain development


As the world community takes further steps towards the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as Rio+20, awareness is increasing about the role that youth can play in ensuring sustainable development and eradicating poverty through promotion of green economy and low carbon economic activities. In 1992, Agenda 21 identified nine major groups through which all citizens could participate in UN sustainable development activities. As one of these groups, youth around the globe – however diverse in socio-economic, political, and environmental situations – are preparing for this important event.

To help mainstream this important group in the Rio+20 processes in the sustainable mountain development context, ICIMOD, through the Asia Pacific Mountain Network (APMN), has organised a series of activities since early 2011. The ‘South and Central Asia Regional Virtual Consultation on Youth Perspectives on Rio +20’ attracted 550 participants from 38 countries worldwide. Outcomes of this consultation were presented and discussed during the World Leadership Conference 2011 in Singapore and the ‘Asia Pacifi c Youth Forum on Climate Actions and Mountain Issues’ organised at ICIMOD headquarters in August 2011. The Youth Forum, attended by 43 young people from 17 Asia Pacifi c countries, adopted the ‘Asia Pacifi c Youth Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development’ and the ‘Asia Pacifi c Youth Position Paper on Rio+20’, which are now being used by the Major Group on Children and Youth for Rio+20 debate and have been submitted to Rio+20 Secretariat. These documents were also shared at the ‘Regional Sharing Workshop on Assessment of Challenges and Opportunities in the Asia Pacifi c region for Rio +20’ (ICIMOD, 23-25 August 2011), the ‘International Conference on Green Economy and Sustainable Mountain Development: Opportunities and Challenges in View of Rio+20’ (ICIMOD, 5-7 September 2011) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) TUNZA Conference 2011 (Indonesia, 26 September to 1 October 2011).

ICIMOD plans to continue similar youth oriented activities to advocate the mountain agenda and mainstream youth in the sustainability debate.

- Tek Jung Mahat, tmahat@icimod.org


Citation:
Mahat, T. J. (2011), Road to Rio+20: Mobilising Asia Pacific youth for promoting sustainable mountain development, in the Earth Observation and Climate Change – ICIMOD Newsletter Sustainable Mountain Development, No. 60 autumn 2011. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal. Available online at:

24th Ph.D. Workshop on International Climate Policy, Germany


24th Ph.D. Workshop on International Climate Policy

Organized by:
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg,
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems Freiburg

May 3-4, 2012

Call for Papers

The 24th Ph.D. Workshop on International Climate Policy (ICP) will take place at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg (ALU), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems Freiburg (ISE), on May 3-4, 2012.

The ICP workshops series is organised twice per year under the auspices of the European Ph.D. Network on International Climate Policy. It aims to offer doctoral candidates the opportunity to present their research ideas and results, receive feedback, and exchange information and assistance in an informal setting. PhD students from all disciplines working on topics relevant to climate policy are invited to submit applications. The 24th ICP workshop will cover topics of relevance for climate change mitigation and adaptation, such as policy instruments, carbon markets, science-policy interface, climate and development, renewable energy and forests in a changing climate, as well as climate change negotiations and post-Kyoto governance architectures.

Participation is free of charge, but workshop participants are expected to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. Active participation is required, by presenting a paper and/or by serving as a discussant for a paper presented by a fellow PhD candidate. To apply for the workshop, please submit the application form available on the workshop’s homepage

http://www.wipo.uni-freiburg.de/tagungen/24icpworkshop

If you intend to present a paper, please add an informative abstract of no more than 300 words. Please send your documents via email to 24icpworkshop@mail.uni-freiburg.de by January 29, 2012.

Notification of acceptance/rejection will be given by February 15, and full papers will be due by April 5, 2012.

The workshop will be hosted and receives funding by the Graduate School of Environment, Society and Global Change, ALU Freiburg and the Fraunhofer ISE. It will be organized in close cooperation with the Institute of Forest and Environmental Policy, the Department of Political Science, and the Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory of ALU Freiburg.

We look forward to welcoming you in Freiburg.

The organising committee,
Stephan Hoch, Christoph Oberlack, Sabine Reinecke, Stephan Schindele

Second Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Workshop in Sustainable Development, Columbia University, USA


CALL FOR PAPERS

Second Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Workshop in Sustainable Development
April 20th-21st, 2012: Columbia University in the City of New York, USA

The graduate students in sustainable development at Columbia University are convening the Second Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Workshop in Sustainable Development (IPWSD); scheduled for April 20th-21st, 2012, at Columbia University in New York City.

The IPWSD is a conference open to graduate students working on or interested in issues related to sustainable development.  It is intended to provide a forum to present and discuss research in an informal setting, as well as to meet and interact with similar graduate student researchers from other institutions.  In particular, we hope to facilitate a network among students pursuing in-depth research across a range of disciplines in the social and natural sciences, to generate a larger interdisciplinary discussion concerning sustainable development.  If your research pertains to the field of sustainable development and the linkages between natural and social systems, we encourage you to apply regardless of disciplinary background.

For details, please see the call for papers, or visit our conference website where a detailed list of topics, conference themes and other information is available.

Please share this information widely with graduate students and other interested parties. We look forward to seeing you in New York City in April!

With kind regards,
The IPWSD Planning Committee,

Vacancy for Communication and Outreach Officer at IUCN Nepal


Vacancy for Communication and Outreach Officer

Our mission “To influence, encourage & assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity & diversity of nature & to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable & ecologically sustainable.”

IUCN is a world leader in developing knowledge & understanding for effective conservation action. A unique international organisation, IUCN brings together states, government agencies & NGO members, & some 10,000 scientists & experts from 181 countries in a global web of networks to provide a neutral forum for dialogue & action on environment & sustainable development issues.

The Communication and Outreach Officer will be responsible in assisting the programme communication, outreach and knowledge management of IUCN Nepal Office to help achieve its mission and objectives.

Priority will be given to the successful candidate who possesses A Master's degree, preferably in mass communications or a related field. IT knowledge especially the use of Photoshop and other designing / web designing tools required. Candidate must have at least three years of relevant experience in a similar position or journalism/publications/communication works in developement sector. He/She should have good oral and written communication skill in Nepali and in English and willing to travel to the field and work independently.

IUCN is an equal opportunity employer; qualified women and members of ethnic minorities or disadvantaged groups are encouraged to apply. Only short listed candidates will be notified. IUCN Nepal reserves the rights to reject any or all applications. Interested candidates should send their CV, names of two referees and a cover letter explaining their interest in the position by 26th December 2011 to:

The Human Resources Unit 
IUCN Nepal Country Office 
P.O. Box 3923
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Email: hr.np@iucn.org

Details of the Terms of Reference is available at the Country Office reception desk or click on the link below
Details of the Terms of Reference: (pdf)

Call for National/ International Consultant for National Conservation Strategy Development - IUCN Nepal


Call for National/ International Consultant for National Conservation Strategy Development

20 Dec 2011

Background
In the World Conservation Congress (WCC) held in early1980s, the world leaders passed a resolution that each IUCN Member nation should develop a strategy related to sustainable use of their country’s natural resources. As an IUCN Member, Nepal government had ratified this resolution and with support from IUCN, prepared a National Conservation Strategy in 1988. The Document was well received by concerned stakeholders involved in nature conservation work at national, local and international levels. However, national and international contexts, in which the 1988 Strategy was developed has now changed and there is a need to revisit this Strategy.

The National Planning Commission of Nepal, with support from IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has taken an initiative to revisit the 1988 Strategy. The objective of this initiative is to develop a revised or new National Conservation Strategy which reflects the changed contexts and one that ensures that nature conservation is an integral part of all national development policies, strategies and programs. NCS thus formulated is expected to be a guiding document for all conservation policies and practices in Nepal.

We seek to engage an experienced Consultant (national/ international) to assist in developing (writing and producing) the Strategy and work closely with members of the Steering and Technical Committees and coordinate and guide the work of consultants responsible for preparing background papers and other information relevant to the revised/new Strategy.

IUCN is an equal opportunity employer; qualified women and members of ethnic minorities or disadvantaged groups are encouraged to apply. Only short listed candidates will be notified. IUCN Nepal reserves the rights to reject any or all applications. Interested candidates should send their CV, and a cover letter explaining their interest in the position by 5th January 2012 to:

The Human Resources Unit
IUCN Nepal Country Office
P.O. Box 3923,
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Email: hr.np@iucn.org

Details of the Terms of Reference is available at the Country Office reception desk or click on the link below

Details of the Terms of Reference: (pdf)

Global Youth Movement for Rio +20 and the Mountain Agenda

Global Youth Movement for Rio +20 and the Mountain Agenda

Next year, the world community will be convening once more in Rio de Janeiro. It is 20 years since Agenda 21 and time to discuss the environmental issues and processes affecting the earth and to develop clear roadmaps for the decades ahead. Popularised as ‘Rio+20’, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) will critically assess progress made over the last two decades. The objective of the conference is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess progress to date, and identify gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development. The conference will address new and emerging challenges, focussing on the green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development. These are being promoted as strategies and mechanisms for marrying ecology and the economy, resulting in social benefits that are equitably shared. However, these ideas, especially the ‘green economy’ lack clarity and specificity from the perspective of developing, least developed and mountain countries. The general view is that it is vital to discuss outcomes in terms of poverty reduction. Currently, the UNCSD preparatory committee is collecting input from stakeholders, including the major groups that will form the basis for discussion at the Rio+20 Conference. Nine working groups (as defined by UNCSD) in different countries are providing input through consultation. These groups are: ‘business and industry', ‘indigenous peoples’, ‘scientific and technical community’, ‘children and youth’, ‘local authorities’, ‘women’, ‘farmers’, ‘NGOs’ and ‘workers & trade unions’. However, there is too much duplication between what these different groups are doing as well as obscurity in the documents they have prepared. Most of the documents prepared by ‘youth’ do lack a specific youth focus. Furthermore, we have to make sure our efforts go to the right place to get included in the Rio+20 outcome document.
The Asia Pacific Youth Forum on Climate Actions and Mountain Issues, held a meeting at ICIMOD in August where they developed the ‘Asia Pacific Youth’s Position Paper on Rio+20’ and a ‘Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development’, both considering the situations in mountainous regions and LDCs. Some of these recommendations are given below. 
  • Capacity building events are needed, that are rich in concepts, as well as the facts and figures related to Rio+20 focus areas. Youths need to advocate with solid facts and figures in hand and a logical argument: “Why we are important in this process?” 
  • A list of ‘youth expectations from Rio+20’, and the ‘expected role of youth in Rio+20 process’, should be made, and passed to the respective government focal points and UNCSD Secretariat/ UNEP/ UNDESA/ UNGA respectively. 
  • There should be a call for national meetings of government representatives and development communities to debate the role and realistic expectations of youth as a result of Rio+20; they should be asked how youth engagement can be improved. 
  • Virtual groups and subgroups would be useful to enhance understanding, communication and collaboration among the youth and promoting institutions. 
  • Youth should demand a shift from ‘assistant’ to ‘managerial’ role in the process as we have the comparative advantage of knowing the latest technologies and emerging issues and have the calibre to manage changed situations. International mechanisms like UNEP should be asked to start Green Youth Leadership programmes. 
  • The provision of a ‘Green Youth Fund’ at the national level will enable many youth to start green businesses/ engage in entrepreneurship and to contribute to the green economy. 
  • This is a good time to demand a separate youth division as part of the proposed World Environmental Organisation. 
- Tek Jung Mahat


Citation:
Mahat, T. J. (2011), Global Youth Movement for Rio +20 and the Mountain Agenda - My views in the ICIMOD eNews Oct/Nov 2011. International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal. On the web: http://www.icimod.org/?q=4461

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Environmental Leadership in Hawaii, 30 March - 6 April 2012, USA


Environmental Leadership in Hawaii, 30 March - 6 April 2012, USA

A Science & Culture Program for High School Students

This Spring, the Brown Leadership Institute will return to Hawaii to study its ecological and social systems. Students will study the island's biological, ecological and cultural diversity through a core curriculum of marine science, volcanology and island culture.
Approximately 1,500 years ago Polynesian voyagers sailed thousands of miles to the islands using the stars, waves, wind and birds as their primary navigational tools. Since then the island has been home to a rich mix of traditions, languages and practices from the Polynesian, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, American and European cultures.

Our program focuses on the interdependence of land, sea, and the life systems they support.

The first half of this course will take place in Volcanoes National Park, where students will explore the dynamic geological processes which continue to shape the island.
The second part of the program is based on the beach north of Kona providing the perfect site for investigating marine life and the ways in which the sea has transformed life on the Island.

Brown has partnered with The Kohala Center to offer this rigorous program for exceptionally motivated pre-college students with interests in science, leadership, and cultural studies. The Kohala Center links together a diverse network of Island-based institutions with expertise in the physical and cultural sciences, politics, education, and history. Brown University and The Kohala Center are committed to helping Hawaii residents preserve and enhance the intellectual, cultural, and natural assets of the Island.

In this course, students will:
·         Investigate the geological processes which form the chain of Hawaiian islands
·         Explore native Hawaiian culture, traditions and legends by spending time with hula instructors, musicians, local botanists and story tellers
·         Hike through Volcano National Park and observe steam vents, lava tubes, calderas and kipukas
·         Observe the lava flow at night-(depends on weather and lava flow)
·         Be welcomed at the Kilauea Volcano through a traditional Hawaiian ritual
·         Hike through dramatic rainforests and learn about the geological forces which shape this coast line.
·         Explore the differences in climate as we drive from rainforests to savannahs and observe changes in vegetation and wildlife
·         Kayak and snorkel and observe the amazing biodiversity of a coral reef
·         Meet with Kupunas (native Hawaiian elders) who will discuss the impact of colonization, sugar plantations, and development on the Island

Towards an Integrated Observing System for South America: air quality assessment and forecasting in Mega cities, Chile


Towards an Integrated Observing System for South America: air quality assessment and forecasting in Mega cities

January 9-12, 2012

http://ossaf.cmm.uchile.cl/

This workshop is co-organized by the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) and the Geophysics Department (DGF) at the Faculty for Physical and Mathematical Science, University of Chile. This activity marks the closure of a five year project sponsored by the Inter American Institute on Global Change Research (IAI) that tackled South American Emissions Megacities and Climate (SAEMC, CRN 2017). It is also a regional activity promoted and sponsored by the international Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (iCACGP), and by the World Meteorological Organization, Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Urban Research Meteorology and Environment (GURME).

The International Summer School (ISS) Scholarship 2012, Norway


The International Summer School (ISS) Scholarship 2012, Norway

The International Summer School (ISS) offers intensive Master’s and Bachelor’s courses over six weeks. We welcome more than 550 students from nearly 100 countries from late June to early August.

Scholarship applicants
Many applicants will find that they are academically qualified to attend ISS, but they will not meet the requirements set by the scholarship donors. Many scholarship applicants are academically qualified to attend the ISS, but they do not meet the requirements for a scholarship. As a result, the application will be rejected.

To be a successful scholarship candidate you will need to demonstrate:
·         that your academic background is related to the course you wish to take;
·         that your professional background/goals are related to the course you wish to take;
·         financial need;
·         personal qualities that make you a good representative of your country.

Competition for scholarships is high. Many scholarship applicants are rejected in the Pre-Application phase. At this point, the applicant can switch the status to “self-paying” or “sponsored” and try to find the funding from a source outside the ISS.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sustainable Resource Use: Issues and Policies with Special Reference to Asia, Japan


Sustainable Resource Use: Issues and Policies with Special Reference to Asia

Development of a resource circulation system at the national and regional levels is one of the most important policy issues for Asia. To this end, Asian governments have begun to formulate waste/recycle policies in the context of resource circulation with cooperation from the Government of Japan and several international organisations.

Nevertheless, there is a gap between policies and reality in these issues. To close the gap, it is imperative to conduct quantitative assessment of the relevant policies from an economic viewpoint, looking at resource demand between developed and developing countries as well as international trade.

In this symposium, research outcomes will be presented on the categorisation of resource circulation and resource use reduction policies, and quantitative evaluation of their effects on resource, environment and economy. Based on these presentations, there will be further discussions on the current status of resource circulation and necessary activities to circulate resources and reduce resource use in Asia.

http://www.iges.or.jp/en/image/toka.gif
http://www.iges.or.jp/en/image/toka.gif
Date and Time
13 January 2012 (Friday) 13:30-17:00
Venue
Tokyo International Forum, Hall B5>> Access
Organiser
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Ministry of the Environment, Japan
Language
English and Japanese with simultaneous interpretation
Capacity
Limited to 200 seats
Fee
Free of charge
Registration
Public participants are requested to register prior to the event.
Please send an E-mail stating your full name, position held, organisation, and contact information (email or telephone) to :
IGES Economy and Environment Group: eesem-re@iges.or.jp
Closing date for registration
10 January 2012
* Registration will be closed upon fulfilment of this capacity.
Programme
Download the Programme:
pdf1268KB