Adapting to Climate Change Conference to be held June 6-8
Columbia, MO — Academics, students, governmental agency representatives and interested parties who want to collaborate to provide information and tools to help residents, businesses and governments make better choices when adapting to climate change will gather June 6-8 at the University of Missouri for the conference, Adapting to Climate Change: Gaining the Advantage.
Climate change is already having an impact on animal and bird migrations, growing seasons, disease, energy consumption, water availability and flooding events which all effect societies and how they relate to one another. Since climate will continue to change at an accelerating rate, humanity must become more resilient and define more effective strategies for adaptation regionally, nationally and globally. The University of Missouri has unique strengths to tackle these issues around Adapting to Climate Change and become a world leader as the source of information and actions regarding adaptation.
Thomas Johnson, from the organizing committee and professor of Agricultural Economics knows that there is an interest area for every person at MU at this conference. “We hope our colleagues across campus will participate in order to learn about what kind of climate adaptation research is being done at MU, and to find opportunities to form interdisciplinary teams to find innovative solutions to societal problems caused by climate change. We need a wide spectrum of discussion from all fields. For example, what is the role of the arts in raising peoples’ consciousness of the need for adaptation or a historian’s role in helping us understands the process of adaptation?” This conference, primarily funded by the Mizzou Advantage, will also review the interdisciplinary projects that have been happening in the four Mizzou Advantage Initiatives relating to this topic and then leave the floor open to discuss new possibilities for joint projects. Other sessions will include topics regarding infrastructure, education, message distribution and business opportunities.
Keynote speakers will open and close the conference and include: Dr. James Buizer, the Deputy Director for Climate Adaptation & International Development and Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona; Dr. Paul Siegel, Consultant to the World Bank, who has been focusing on strategies, policies and projects that integrate climate change adaptation, food security and social protection, and issues related to climate change justice; and Adam Parris, with the National Oceanography and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Mr. Parris is the program manager of a network of eleven different cooperative agreements between NOAA and academic teams investigating multi-dimensional issues, all dealing with climate’s effect on society.
Further details including those regarding registration and poster submission can be found at: http://www.muconf.missouri.edu/adaptation/index.html. For the cost of $25.00, participants will be able to learn from the speakers, take part in discussions and network during meals and receptions during the three day event. A poster session will also be held and poster submissions are still welcome.
For content information contact: Thomas Johnson, johnsontg@missouri.edu, (573) 882-2157
For registration information contact: Barbara Wills, MU Conference Office, willsbj@missouri.edu; (573) 882-4370