Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Season's Greetings and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year

As Christmas and the New Year approaches, I want to take time to tell you how blessed I feel to know you. Here's to wishing you a very Merry Christmas and amazing New Year.

Sincere regards,
Tek
--

Tek Jung Mahat

Environment Professional

(Activity areas: environment, climate change and sustainable development - system and services; research and advocacy; networking,  communications and knowledge management; programme development and management in South Asia and beyond)

Web I Blog I ResearchGate I Google Scholar I Twitter I Facebook I LinkedIn

Life is nothing but a chance to play with infinite possibilities…:) Live Green and leave the planet green :)

Monday, December 7, 2015

Facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships and institutional change 2016


November 2015 | Online versie

Facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships and institutional change

Using interactive approaches to learn and innovate with a diverse range of stakeholders

 



Course introduction

In today's complex and interconnected world the need for collaboration and partnerships between different interest groups and across the boundaries of business, government, civil society and science is clear and often called for by leaders. But bringing about change in society is no simple matter. It requires deep understanding of what enables and what stops people from getting along and working together. It requires patience and time. And it requires commitment from leaders. However, with the right mindset and by making use of the sorts of practical process steps and tools offered by this course much can be done to unlock the vast human potential for cooperation and innovation.

Read more

Application procedures

Read more

Interested candidates can apply for admission to the training via the website. After reviewing, Centre for Development Innovation will send you the admission letter and instructions on how to continue. Please note that there is a limited time span in which you can apply for NFP or MENA funding. For NFP and MENA applicants, the application procedure is 2 steps; registration for the short course at CDI, and submitting an application for NFP or MENA in Atlas.

Course date: 17 October - 04 November 2016
Deadline NFP/MENA fellowships: 22 March 2016
Deadline alternative funding: 05 September 2016

Online application form

Register in time

NFP Fellowships
Nuffic has a limited number of fellowships available for nationals of certain countries
After you completed your registration for this course, and you are eligible for NFP funding, you will receive an admission letter with further instructions on the NFP application procedure.
Applications for NFP fellowships should be submitted online via the ATLAS application form between 04 February and 22 March 2016. The link and further instructions are given in the NFP admission letter.
For the latest information on NFP please check: https://www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/highlighted-scholarships/netherlands-fellowship-programmes/netherlands-fellowship-programmes-nfp


Mena fellowships
Nuffic has a limited number of MENA fellowships available for nationals of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.

Applications for Mena fellowships should be submitted online via the ATLAS application form between 04 February and 22 March 2016. The link and further instructions are given in the MENA admission letter.

 

For more information about the MENA Scholarship Programme, please visit https://www.studyinholland.nl/scholarships/highlighted-scholarships/mena-scholarship-programme


 



Environmental Communication Course


In January, the International Environmental Communication Association (IECA) will again be offering online course Environmental Communication: Research Into Practice.

This course explores how the most relevant research and theory from communication, psychology, sociology, and political science can be used to improve the practice of science, sustainability and environmental communication. Participants get an overview of the field as we examine how language, images, narratives, values, frames and media come together in advocacy and social marketing campaigns, and other forms of public participation for environmental protection. We consider how communication is used to accomplish practical goals, as well as how it affects people's beliefs about nature and environmental affairs. To do this we use readings, examples, cases, recorded lectures, discussions, and the insights of leaders in the field. Participants have the opportunity to work on communication projects that are relevant to their specific interests.
Who is the course for?

This course is most relevant to:

  • Environmental communication professionals who want to brush up or catch up
  • Environmental policy & science professionals who need to improve their communication
  • Students (graduate or senior undergraduate) in communication, environmental studies and sciences, or other fields who don't have access to such a course at their school
  • Concerned citizens who want to become more involved in advocacy and public participation in environmental affairs

Course participants come from all over the world.

More information is on the Environmental Communication: Research Into Practice page. Space is limited to 20 participants per session.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Online mentored KM Practitioner Certification Course - 6th Class Starts on 21 September 2015

Online mentored KM Practitioner Certification Course - 6th Class Starts on 21 September 2015

In 2006, CCLFI pioneered the first online KM course in the Philippines. In October 2013, CCLFI introduced the online mentored Knowledge Management Practitioner Certification Course.

This 18-week course features – 

  • "Learning by doing" or learning through practice of 30 basic or unit KM skills in first ten weeks;

  • Use of a practice website where course participants each have their own dedicated practice webpage where they can practice various website content management skills;
     
  • Study at your convenience; spend a total of about 3 hours online per week at any time during the week;

  • "Learning together" or weekly online discussion among course participants; and

  • In-depth workplace practice in the final 8 weeks of a KM tool appropriate to the needs of the participant's organization. You create value for your organization while you learn. 

If you are interested to join the next or sixth class, send an email to Dr. Serafin D. Talisayon atserafin.talisayon@cclfi.org. It will be started on September 21, 2015. Starting with the fifth class, extra lessons on KM for the development and public sectors are offered (see italics in list below) which are treated as optional.

 The ten weekly learning sessions are: 

  1. Definitions and KM framework
    Extra lesson: KM for the public and development sectors
  2. Tacit and explicit knowledge
  3. Aligning KM with organizational objectives
    Extra lesson: KM logframe for development projects
  4. Demand-driven KM
    Extra lesson: Demand-driven KM: whose demand?
  5. Selecting the right KM tool
    Extra lesson: Knowledge translation: writing and delivering user-responsive knowledge products
  6. Organizational learning
    Extra lesson: Tools for cross-project learning
  7. Innovation: organizational practices
    Extra lesson: Social innovation
  8. Innovation: individual practices
  9. Managing intellectual capital
    Extra lesson: Community intellectual capital and other assets
  10. KM assessments and action planning for KM practicum
    Extra lesson: Success factors in KM implementation.

The 30 basic KM skills you will learn through practice are:

Content management of a website:

  • Editing and updating a webpage
  • Creating a webpage with functionalities to suit its purpose
  • Managing a threaded online forum
  • Evaluating how demand/user-driven is a website

 Managing intellectual capital:

  • Setting up a web-based and self-updated expertise directory
  • Identifying elements of relationship capital
  • Aligning KM to organizational objectives
  • Innovating for "next practice": what went wrong and why?

Establishing and managing learning processes in the workplace:

  • Keeping a learning journal: most significant learning
  • Making our thinking process visible: mind mapping
  • Setting up an "Ask Me" procedure
  • Conducting a lessons-learned session

Motivating knowledge workers:

  • Making explicit the inner drives of a person: my passions
  • Explaining benefits of KM to a superior
  • Identifying and designating in-house consultants
  • Creating a KM persona that suits a person's talents and passions

Enhancing organizational performance:

  • Identifying generator knowledge assets and critical knowledge assets
  • Estimating peso value of a demand-driven intranet
  • Collecting and organizing work templates
  • Setting up and managing an online participatory M&E

KM assessments and measurements:

  • Assessing process efficiency and effectiveness
  • Identifying potential KM champions
  • Estimating the market value of my human capital
  • Selecting KM tools to match workplace needs

Innovation (knowledge creation):

  • Setting up an idea register
  • Mining customer complaints
  • Problem finding versus problem solving
  • Questioning your assumptions
  • Two-phase creative brainstorming
  • Go outside your comfort zone

 

Your Online Mentors

Your online mentors are CCLFI KM experts and practitioners Dr. Serafin or "Apin" Talisayon and Dr. Daan Boom (click the links to see their profiles). They each have two decades of KM practice, consulting and teaching behind them.

 

Some Feedback from Past Students

 "I found that having a real-work practicum is very useful as it will train you how to apply KM knowledge in your workplace."  – Daryl Laqui, EPM Regulator Technologies

"Creating webpages was fun." – Charlyn Justimabaste, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority

"Since it is an online course, it has been very convenient for us to study KM. It felt legitimate now when I say that I am a KM specialist. I am more conscious about our work processes and is looking at ways on how to make work more efficient."  – Anna Amalia Brillante, Peace and Equity Foundation

"The tools introduced by Dr. Apin are very useful in generating insights about the processes we need to improve in the organization. For instance the QBPA [Quick Business Process Assessment] is so easy to use but generate very useful information and actionable items."  – Valentine Esguerra, Emerson Process Management

"I really appreciate 'Estimating Peso Value of a Demand-Driven Intranet' activity because it converts wasted time to value which is the language of management."  Vabby Payod, Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp.

"I was so happy on one of the Unit Skills... [about] setting up of Participatory M&E in a webpage!"   JRose Centillas, Jollibee Foods Corp.


What Participants Have Learned

Course participants have learned many KM skills such as creating, editing and inserting images or functionalities in their practice webpages. They collaborate to construct their searchable Talent Directory and select a "KM persona" appropriate to their individual skills and unique personalities:


 



For more information: http://www.cclfi.org/KMPCC

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Post-doc opportunity at CIFOR: gender, agribusiness, forests

Dear colleagues… please see this call for a post doc, which is to be coordinated from CIFOR (Centre for International Forestry Research) in Indonesia (but might not necessarily have to be located there).  Please contact Bimbika Sijapati, below.
We are currently looking for a gender post-doc to undertake research on gender and agribusiness expansion in forested landscapes. This is a CIFOR position but the person will be expected to work closely with researchers at IFPRI and IWMI. I think this is a really exciting opportunity to work on an area that remains under researched from a gender perspective. Please do share this announcement among your network and please feel free to ask potential candidates to contact me directly for further information. We are looking to fill the position as soon as possible. The application deadline is on the 30th of September. http://www.cifor.org/career/98/gender-post-doctoral-fellow-globalized-trade-and-investments/

Bimbika Sijapati Basnett, Gender specialist, Centre for International Forestry Research (part of CGIAR), Bogor, Indonesia:   B.Basnett@cgiar.org 

UCRSEA Post‐Doctoral Fellowship 2016 in Bangkok

UCRSEA PostDoctoral Fellowship 2016 in Bangkok

 

The Urban Climate Resilience Southeast Asia Partnership (UCRSEA), directed by the Asia Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and the Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) in Bangkok, Thailand, invites applications for a one-year UCRSEA Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Urban Climate Change Resilience. Research proposed must be pertinent to UCRSEA's focus on building urban climate change capacity, particularly in the Mekong region. The Fellowship will commence in January 2016, with an annual salary of $40,500 CAD plus benefits.

 

Qualifications

The successful applicant is expected to reside in Bangkok, Thailand, be based at the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISETRegional Office), and travel once to Toronto, Canada during the term of the Fellowship. Support for conference and research travel in Southeast Asia is available.

 

Eligibility is limited to applicants who have received their Ph.D. in a relevant discipline (social sciences) within the three years prior to the start date of the UCRSEA fellowship (i.e. January 2013 or later). All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply however Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

 

Responsibilities

In addition to pursuing an intensive research project, the postdoctoral fellow is expected to participate as a member of the UCRSEA team.

 

Core responsibilities of the postdoctoral fellow include:

Conducting research of relevance to the UCRSEA project;

Presenting their research at one research seminar at the Munk School of Global Affairs 2016 and at least one seminar hosted by TEI in a Southeast Asian city during 2106;

Preparing an original, fulllength research paper for publication as part of the UCRSEA Paper series;

Providing research assistance and documentation support to TEI/ISET on UCRSEA project and research in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam;

Providing support to country partners in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in research design, field research and documentation;

Providing support to TEI/ISET in project reporting.

 

Other responsibilities, to be identified with UCRSEA partners and directors based on the fellow's interests and UCRSEA's research agenda, could include:

Planning UCRSEA conferences, events or workshops, in conjunction with UCRSEA partners;

Participation in other UCRSEA research projects and initiatives. 

 

Applications

Applications must arrive at the Munk School of Global Affairs no later than Wednesday, 30 September 2015 at noon (EST). The committee will notify applicants of their decision by 1 November 2015.

 

Application instructions can be found at:

http://urbanclimateresiliencesea.apps01.yorku.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ucrsea-postdoc-bangkok-instructions.pdf

 

About UCRSEA

The Urban Climate Resilience Southeast Asia Partnership addresses vulnerabilities to climate change in urbanizing areas of Southeast Asia with the goal of enhancing resilience and, hence, economic and social well-being. Individual and community vulnerabilities in the region are linked to global environmental change and to the rapid pace of urbanization and economic integration of the region. Specifically, we seek to provide vulnerable peoples in transitional states with the space to learn about and share in decisions about protecting themselves from the economic, social, and physical impacts of climate change.

 

UCRSEA is a new network of scholars and researchers working to address a critical gap in understanding the role of regionalization and urbanization in the growing risks posed by climate change in Southeast Asia. Our project involves international collaboration between academics in Canada and partners located in four countries that are experiencing both rapid urbanization and the severe effects of climate change: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. UCRSEA includes universities, NGOs, local organizations, and local governments engaged in multi- disciplinary partnership, combining the science of interpreting climate change's uncertainties, risks, and impacts with social science analysis from geography, anthropology, and planning. The initiating partners include the Thailand Environmental Institute Foundation (TEI), a non- government think tank focusing on scientific and policy issues in Southeast Asia, and the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET-International), an international NGO with extensive experience in knowledge sharing and building urban climate change resilience, the University of Toronto, and York University.

 

The UCRSEA is undertaking a range of research and program activities: • conducting original, independent, academic research that views urbanization as a transformative process in terms of poverty, vulnerability, growth and climate change impacts; • promoting and sharing our research through publications, as well as through workshops, conferences, webcasts, and presentations; • convening roundtables and public events to engage discussion among scholars, policy makers, and community leaders in cities of Southeast Asia and Canada; • supporting graduate and postgraduate students to thereby build Canada and Southeast Asia's expertise in the field of urban climate change impacts and responses. Funding The Partnership is supported by a five-year International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies (IPaSS) grant, funded by both the International Development Research Council (IDRC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. For more information about UCRSEA: http://urbanclimateresiliencesea.apps01.yorku.ca

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Center for Policy Research: Policy brief: Development and Climate Policy Synergies: Insights from Global Modelling Studies

The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) have published a policy brief titled "Development and Climate Policy Synergies: Insights from Global Modelling Studies".

India's approach to climate policy is based on amplifying synergies between sustainable development and climate outcomes, or co-benefits. However, the evidence base for the magnitude of these synergies remains limited. 

This brief summarizes the result of global models, which provide strong evidence of complementarities between climate mitigation outcomes, reduced air pollution and enhanced energy security. These results are robust across a wide range of models. They suggest there are considerable gains across multiple objectives of development policy from pursuing India's stated co-benefits approach to climate policy.

The brief is attached below and can also be accessed here.

Applications invited for Director of Sussex Sustainability Research Programme

Director, Sussex Sustainability Research Programme


Building on the success of its 50th anniversary, the University of Sussex is delivering a strategy, Making the Future 2013-18, which will reinforce our strengths as a leading research university, and provide an outstanding student experience to a growing number of students. Creative thinking, pedagogic diversity, intellectual challenge and interdisciplinarity have always been central to a Sussex education. The University has more than 14,500 students and has staff and students from over 120 countries, giving us a distinctly international perspective.


The Director of the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme is a new leadership role. An exceptional individual, of established standing and credibility in sustainability nationally and internationally, will work in partnership, initially spanning four of the University's schools of study (Business, Management and Economics; Global Studies; Life Sciences; and Law, Politics and Sociology) together with the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), to develop a world-leading interdisciplinary programme in sustainability research addressing complex environmental and societal challenges related to climate and biosphere change.

Building on distinctive Sussex strengths in interdisciplinary sustainability research and policy engagement, the programme will provide a research environment in which innovative ideas, approaches and solutions develop.


The programme's activities will enhance both the understanding of complex sustainability challenges, and the approaches through which more sustainable development pathways may be negotiated.

Ideal candidates will be proven academic leaders who have internationally recognised research distinction in sustainability, across natural, applied and social sciences. Experience of attracting and managing large funds, galvanising academics across a range of disciplines and liaising effectively with external parties will be essential.

The role will be based at the University of Sussex, and the remuneration package will be commensurate with the significance of the appointment and the calibre of the successful applicant.


For more information, please visit www.minervasearch.com/sussex

To apply, please send a covering letter, cv and completed equal opportunities form to sussex@minervasearch.com by 04 September 2015.

 

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/aboutus/jobs/237

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Launch of Perspectives 2015: Transformational Change for Low Carbon and Sustainable Development

We are happy to announce that the 2015 edition of Perspectives Transformational Change for Low Carbon and Sustainable Development is now available for download.

The publication contributes to the understanding of how transformational change towards
low-carbon development has already taken place or is being planned in five developed and developing countries. Informed by theories of sustainability transitions, country experts from Brazil, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, and South Africa reflect on the dynamics and
challenges of processes of transformational change in the sub-sectors of wind power, renewable energy, deforestation, transport and state-owned companies.

The Perspectives 2015 publication is a result of collaboration between the NAMA Partnership Working Group on Sustainable Development (WG-SD) and the International Partnership on Mitigation and MRV. The objective of these partnerships is to enhance collaboration and the complementarity of activities by multilateral, bilateral and other organizations to accelerate support to developing countries in preparing and implementing their Low-Emission Development Strategies (LEDS), NAMAs, measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and INDCs. For more information on these partnerships, visit www.namapartnership.org  and www.mitigationpartnership.net
Editors of Perspectives 2015: Karen Holm Olsen & Jørgen Fenhann, both UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP)

For download:
http://www.unepdtu.org/~/media/Sites/Uneprisoe/Publications%20(Pdfs)/Perspectives%202015%20-%20web.ashx?la=da

or
http://www.namapartnership.org/~/media/Sites/Uneprisoe/Publications%20(Pdfs)/Perspectives%202015%20-%20web.ashx?la=da

Best regards,
Mette


Mette Annelie Rasmussen
Special Advisor, Communication & Outreach
UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP)
UN City
Marmorvej 51, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
Email: meta@dtu.dk
Direct +45 4533 5304
Mobile: +45 21798883
www.unepdtu.org

UNEP DTU Partnership (formerly UNEP Risø Centre) is a UNEP Collaborating Centre and a leading international research and advisory institution on energy, climate and sustainable development.

"Consensus and Global Environmental Governance" - A new book in the Earth System Governance Series

Toward the goal of a new universal climate agreement, the December 2014 Lima Climate Change Conference called for action to achieve "meaningful and regular opportunities for the effective engagement of experts from Parties, relevant international organizations, civil society, indigenous peoples, women, youth, academic institutions, the private sector, and subnational authorities nominated by their respective countries"

In a new book in the Earth System Governance series with The MIT Press: Consensus and Global Environmental Governance: Deliberative Democracy in Nature's Regime, juristic democracy is presented as an approach to include citizens in deliberations and decision-making on global climate governance.

The book is authored by Prof. Walter F. Baber (California State University, Long Beach) and Prof. Robert V. Bartlett (University of Vermont), both members of the Earth System Governance Lead Faculty.

 

In this book, Professors Baber and Bartlett explore the practical and conceptual implications of a new approach to international environmental governance. Their proposed approach - juristic democracy - emphasizes the role of the citizen rather than the nation-state as the source of legitimacy in international environmental law. Their aim is to construct a global jurisprudence based on collective will formation.

 

Building on concepts presented in their previous book, the award-winning Global Democracy and Sustainable Jurisprudence, Baber and Bartlett examine in detail the challenges that consensus poses for a system of juristic democracy. They analyze the implications of deliberative consensus for rule-bounded behavior, for the accomplishment of basic governance tasks, and for diversity in a politically divided and culturally plural world. They assess social science findings about the potential of small-group citizen panels to contribute to rationalized consensus, drawing on the extensive research conducted on the use of juries in courts of law. Finally, they analyze the place of juristic democracy in a future "consensually federal" system for earth system governance.

 

Other recent books in the Earth System Governance series with The MIT Press include:

-       Frank Biermann. 2014. Earth System Governance: World Politics in the Anthropocene.

-       Aarti Gupta and Michael Mason, editors. 2014. Transparency in Global Environmental Governance: Critical Perspectives.

-       Sikina Jinnah. 2014. Post-Treaty Politics: Secretariat Influence in Global Environmental Governance.

More about these new books and all our other publications can be found at earthsystemgovernance.org/publications

Contact: Earth System Governance International Project Office, ipo@earthsystemgovernance.org

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Apply for a Corporate Adaptation Prize!

The 2015 ND-GAIN Corporate Adaptation Prize application is now open! Your network contains potential recipients, and I hope you will encourage them to apply.

 

Winning Corporate Adaptation Prize projects will be based in a country ranked below 60 on the ND-GAIN Country Index and will measurably decrease climate-related vulnerabilities by enhancing food security, water access, coastal protection, ecosystem services, human habitats or infrastructure resiliency or by improving government, economic or social structures.

  

Past winners of the prize include PepsiCo, Ushahidi, Centre Suivi Ecologique, Monsanto and Novartis.  

 

Applications are due July 31, and the 2015 winners will be announced at a September awards event at Climate Week New York and to the international media.   

 

Thanks for spreading the word about this great opportunity to celebrate corporate adaptation around the globe.

 

Best regards, Joyce

Joyce Coffee

Managing Director

Notre Dame Global Adaptation Indexwww.nd-gain.org

jcoffee@nd.edu 312 894 9028 (m) | 574 807 9322 (o)

@joycecoffee | climateadaptationexchange.com

Friday, May 15, 2015

Application for M.Sc. Global Change Ecology, University of Bayreuth, Germany - 8 weeks left

We would like to advertise the application deadline this summer for an attractive and intense international MSc study program in Global Change Ecology at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Either you in person or bachelor students and graduates around may be interested in this qualification.

The program is devoted to understanding and analyzing the most important and consequential environmental concern of the 21st century; namely, the ecological consequences of Global Change, especially the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. One of the program's focus is the linking of natural science and socio-economic perspectives. The international program is realized in close contact with research institutions, NGOs and companies and administration. Our study program has been acknowledged by the United Nations as an observer organization. During the last years, we received applications from more than 70 countries.

Teaching language is in English. Accepted candidates do not have to pay tuition fees.

Applicants from any academic background that is related to the scope of this study program are welcome to apply. Applications can be sent via post or scanned copies via e-mail.

The deadline is 15th of July 2015. Please, check the link below for application details.

http://www.global-change-ecology.de/

We encourage and appreciate you to disseminate this information! Our coordinators will be happy to assist candidates in their application if something is unclear.

Best wishes

Carl Beierkuhnlein

Thursday, May 14, 2015

New report: The implications of the SDGs for developed countries



Report cover3 May 2015
 
Stakeholder Forum was recently commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to undertake a rapid new study to aid better understanding of the implications of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Developed Countries, since this aspect has tended to receive less attention in the international discussions. A report of the study is published today.
 
The study introduces a new methodology for assessing the degree of both transformational challenge represented by each of the different SDGs (and their respective targets) and the transformational changes that will need to be made in implementing them indifferent national circumstances.
 
A first application of the methodology leads to the conclusion that the most transformational opportunities for developed countries in implementing the SDGs domestically are clustered around the goals of transitioning economies towards more sustainable modes of consumption and production, greater sustainable energy production and combating climate change. This contrasts with the position of developing countries for which the goal of eradicating poverty is still the central challenge, and for which they still need support in many forms from more developed countries and the international community.
 
It is important to note that all of the SDGs contain relevant and significant challenges for all countries. Therefore, all of the SDGs apply to even the most developed of countries. However, this study seeks to understand better the differing emphases for action within the SDG framework that will arise for different countries so as to relieve the overall anthropogenic pressures on the planet and its natural systems at the same time as eradicating poverty and promoting greater equality within and amongst countries.
 
The methodology proposed is described in some detail so that it could be taken up in any country or groups of countries and used to assess the extent of the challenge represented by the different SDGs in different contexts. It is hoped that it could in this way become a useful tool for countries at all levels of development as they make their plans for SDGs implementation. It could help any country to analyse their current situation in relation to the SDGs, to identify which of the goals and targets will represent the biggest transformational challenges and opportunities for them, and thence to determine their own emphases for action toward achievement of the SDGs.
 
The report can be accessed and downloaded here

Please contact Farooq Ullah for additional information about this study - fullah@stakeholderforum.org 

Friday, April 24, 2015

University offering free online course to demolish climate denial

University offering free online course to demolish climate denial

Starting 28 April, 2015, the University of Queensland is offering a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) aimed at "Making Sense of Climate Science Denial".

The course coordinator is John Cook, University of Queensland Global Change Institute climate communication fellow, and founder of the climate science myth debunking website Skeptical ScienceCook's research has primarily focused on the psychology of climate science denial. As he explains,

97% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming; however, less than half of Australians are aware of humanity's role in climate change, while half of the US Senate has voted that humans aren't causing global warming. This free course explains why there is such a huge gap between the scientific community and the public. Our course looks at what's driving climate science denial and the most common myths about climate change.

The course includes climate science and myth debunking lectures by the international team of volunteer scientific contributors to Skeptical Science, including myself, and interviews with many of the world's leading climate science and psychology experts. Making Sense of Climate Science Denial is a seven-week program featuring interviews with 75 scientific experts, including Sir David Attenborough, Katharine Hayhoe, Richard Alley, Michael Mann, and Naomi Oreskes.

The course incorporates lessons in both climate science and psychology to explain the most common climate myths and to detail how to respond to them. Research has shown that myth debunking is most effective when people understand why the myth originated in the first place. For example, cherry picking (focusing on a small bit of convenient data and ignoring the rest) is one of the most common fallacies behind climate science myths.

The lectures in the University of Queensland MOOC not only explain the science, but also the fallacies underpinning each myth. This is a unique and important feature to this course, because understanding their origins effectively acts to inoculate people against myths.

Thousands of students from more than 130 countries have already enrolled in Making Sense of Climate Science Denial. The goal is for the students to come out of the course with a stronger understanding of climate science, myth debunking, and the psychology of science denial that's become so pervasive and dangerous in today's world.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Call of Papers: 1st Seminar About sustainability strategies and climate change in the BRICS countries - Application: 22th May 2015

1st International Seminar of Studies on the BRICS

1st Seminar About sustainability strategies and climate change in the BRICS countries 

28th to 30th July 2015

Venue: UFRN - Natal - Brazil

 

Call of Papers

 

1 - INTRODUCTION

 

            The organization of the 1st International Seminar of Studies on the BRICS / Seminar About sustainability strategies and climate change in the BRICS countries invites researchers, professionals, professors, students and managers to submit studies and experiences with the global warming in the following areas: environment; food; education; security; public administration; housing; entrepreneurship, employment and income; energy; water and sewage.

            It is understood topics related to sustainability those who collaborate in the improvement of sustainable behavior in the context of public, private and society. We highlight some issues of common interest to the countries belonging to the BRICS:

- Environment (Biodiversity, Energy, Water, Waste);

- Actions quality of life;

- Suppor to rural communities and at risk;

- Economic development.

            It is also important for the event 1st International Seminar of Studies on the BRICS / Seminar About sustainability Strategies and Climate Change in the BRICS Countries participation of researchers holding research methodologies and intervention providing: 1) comparative studies between countries; 2) internationalization of research; 3) expansion of the social, environmental and economic indicators; and 4) guidance for the formulation of public policies.

            The 1st International Seminar of Studies on the BRICS / Seminar About sustainability Strategies and Climate Change in the BRICS Countries seeks to promote the sharing of innovative experiences and provide knowledge transfer to the improvement of instruments and living practices with global warming.

 

2 – FORMAT OF ABSTRACTS

 

2.1 – E-mail and form to submision of paperscebrics@ct.ufrn.br presenting the following title "BRICS SEMINAR – SURNAME AND FIRST NAME".

2.2 - Rules for Abstract Submission:

1) The abstract should must use Times New Roman font, size 12, single spaced, justified; 2) The title should be typed in capital letters, font 12, centered, in bold at the top; 3) The name(s) of author(s) shall (will) be mentioned below the title. In order: name, institution and e-mail; 4) Suggests that the text be developed with a maximum of 800 words; 5) It is suggested that abstracts must contain: Introduction: general and specific objectives, presenting also a brief description of the organization or community of the studied experience and key theoretical concepts related to the works. Methodology: describe which method (qualitative or quantitative); population studied; description of the procedures and instruments for collect data and techniques used to analyze the results. Results: analysis of the key findings of the research results; and Conclusion: implications of the research for the improvement of the organization and / or studied design, as well as their social, organizational and economic contribution. References: inform the main references cited in the theoretical framework. 6) The work must be submitted within the deadline: 22th May 2015

2.3 - will not be accepted: project description and intent to work or summary literature review only.

 

3 – AWARDS

 

            There will be prizes for the best experience and studies presented at the 1st International Seminar of BRICS Studies/ Seminar About Sustainability Strategies and Climate Change in the BRICS Countries through certificate for the best jobs. 

 

4 – INFORMATIONS

 

            We invite you to submit your abstracts by the 22th May 2015, by emailing CEBRICS (cebrics@ct.ufrn.br).

            Please feel free to share this invitation with other researchers or colleagues that might be interested in submitting a topic.

            We look forward to your contributions!

 

www.cebrics.wix.com/cebrics


With steem,

Prof. Julio Francisco Dantas de Rezende

Coordinator of Center of BRICS Studies (CEBRICS) - UFRN

Email: juliofdrezende@hotmail.com

Phones: 55 84 9986-9173/ 9981-8160