Global challenge conference: Adapting to climate change - Climate-smart development

The 3rd conference exploring the Global challenge: Adapting to climate change will focus on climate-smart development. The conference will explore food security, water security, energy security and human security as a meta-challenge.

Description

Changes in climate and the way in which we use the land have all sorts of implications for how we manage the land to sustain and nurture our population. From ‘bedrock to treetop’, there are implications, opportunities and conundrums that researchers in academia can articulate, identify and clarify. In September 2013, the University of Leeds will host an international meeting to explore the following questions:

• How do we distinguish between the most effective low-carbon solutions so that our cities are developed responsibly but still provide economies that support us?
• How do we manage the land to house people & produce food?
• How do we manage fertile land? And how do we make use of infertile land?
• How do we manage the water supply to service homes and for agriculture?
• As the population grows, what makes a sustainable diet and how do we persuade people to eat it?
• How do we manage our utilities and infrastructures in a way that is equitable?
• How do we use what we know about climate change to better prepare for extreme weather conditions and protect those who will be affected by them?
• How do we manage biodiversity as ecosystems are reconfigured?

Objectives

• To bring researchers from WUN collaborations and investigators from programmes organised by CGIAR, EU, NCARFF, NSF and others, together to broaden their research horizons and form novel cross-network research partnerships.
• To demonstrate to the outside world the wealth of expertise we have in research related to climate change adaptation and mitigation in order to make experts and potential postgraduate students more aware of what we have to offer. In order to do this, we want to invite decision-makers from international agencies, selected multinationals and NGOs to join the meeting.
• To explore new funding models with academics, so that international research collaborations are easier to sustain.
• To clarify the role that research, done throughout higher education, plays in clarifying and helping to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
• To identify a series of high impact outputs related to the event that will enhance the University’s global footprint.