Scientific Program

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Scientific Program Day 1
Scientific Program Day 2

Day 2 :

Keynote Forum

Volker M. Arlt

King’s College London, UK

Keynote: Modelling mutational signatures of environmental carcinogens in cultured human cells

Time : 09:00-09:30

Conference Series Climate Change 2018 International Conference Keynote Speaker Volker M. Arlt photo
Biography:

Volker M Arlt has an international profile of research in Environmental Carcinogenesis and Toxicology evidenced by over 180 articles published in high-ranked international journals within the field of research. His expertise is firmly rooted in Molecular Carcinogenesis as well as Genetic and Environmental Toxicology. He is Senior Lecturer in Environmental and Genetic Toxicology at King’s College London and based at the Department of Analytical, Environmental and Forensic Sciences within the School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences. He also belongs to the MRC-PHE Centre for Environmental & Health. He is a European Registered Toxicologist.          

Abstract:

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of human tumors has revealed distinct patterns of mutation that hint at the causative origins of cancer. The Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) is a global resource for information on somatic mutations in human cancer and currently lists 30 distinct mutational signatures. Some signatures are correlated with known environmental exposures, but the causative origins of many signatures remain unknown. We have developed an experimental approach using human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to define mutational signatures of environmental carcinogens by WGS. Treatment conditions (e.g. concentration) for WGS were optimized by assessing cytotoxicity, DNA damage response signaling and the formation of premutagenic DNA adducts. After WGS, a ubiquitous background mutational signature was extracted in all clones showing similarities with COSMIC Signature 18 which has been reported in other cultured human cells. Specific signatures were identified in human iPS cells, following exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), simulated sunlight aristolochic acid I (AAI) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), revealing characteristic mutation pattern for each carcinogen that were highly similar to COSMIC signatures of mutations found in tumors of individuals who were exposed to the agent of interest: predominantly G to T mutations for BaP were linked to COSMIC Signature 4; C to T for simulated sunlight was linked to COSMIC Signature 7; A to T for AAI was linked to COSMIC Signature 22; and G to T for AFB1 was linked to COSMIC Signature 24. Thus, human cell-based systems and WGS can be used to study the genome as a record of environmental exposure.

Recent Publications

  1. Long A S, Wills J W, Krolak D, Guo M, Dertinger S D, et al. (2018) Benchmark dose analyses of multiple genetic toxicity endpoints permit robust, cross-tissue comparisons of MutaMouse responses to orally delivered benzo[a]pyrene. Arch. Toxicol. 92(2):967–982.

  1. White P A, Douglas G R, Phillips D H and Arlt V M (2017) Quantitative relationships between lacZ mutant frequency and DNA adduct frequency in Muta™Mouse tissues and cultured cells exposed to 3-nitrobenzanthrone. Mutagenesis 32(2):299–312.

  1. Kucab J E, Zwart E P, van Steeg H, Luijten M, Schmeiser H H, et al. (2016) TP53 and lacZ mutagenesis induced by 3-nitrobenzanthrone in Xpa-deficient human TP53 knock-in mouse embryo fibroblasts. DNA Repair 39:21–33.

  1. Nik-Zainal S, Kucab J E, Morganella S, Glodzik D, Alexandrov L B, et al. (2015) The genome as a record of environmental exposure. Mutagenesis 30(6):763–70.

  1. Kucab J E, van Steeg H, Luijten M, Schmeiser H H, White PA, et al. (2015) TP53 mutations induced by BPDE in Xpa-WT and Xpa-Null human TP53 knock-in (Hupki) mouse embryo fibroblasts. Mutat. Res. 773:48–62.

 

Keynote Forum

Jean-Claude Gascard

French National Center for Scientific Research, France

Keynote: Arctic sea ice decline over the past 40 years

Time : 09:30-10:00

Conference Series Climate Change 2018 International Conference Keynote Speaker Jean-Claude Gascard photo
Biography:

Jean-Claude Gascard is a Physical Oceanographer specializing in Deep Ocean Convection and Polar Oceanography. He started his observations in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1970s leading to his Doctorate Degree in 1977, then in the Labrador Sea and in the Greenland Sea in the 90s when he published a paper in Nature about Sub-mesoscale Coherent Vortex (SCV) generated during deep ocean convection. This is a major element of the thermohaline ocean circulation mechanism often called the great conveyor belt. His first Arctic expedition was in 1983–1984 during the MIZEX experiment in Fram Strait. He led large European projects in the Arctic during the International Polar Year: the DAMOCLES project from 2005 to 2010 and more recently the ACCESS project (2011-2015) a multidisciplinary Arctic project for understanding the impacts of the Arctic climate change on the economy and the society. He has published more than 100 papers and edited four books.

Abstract:

The Arctic sea ice extent and thickness has declined by 50% over the past 40 years and consequently the ice volume which is a by-product of both Arctic sea ice extent and thickness has declined by 75% during summer. This is a huge change among all the elements contributing to Earth’s climate change. To understand and to explain this situation and to find out about its origin, it is essential to look at winter, in addition to summer conditions. Based on freezing degree days (FDD) accumulating all over the freezing season each year, starting in September and ending in May the following year, we are able to demonstrate that the decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 40 years is largely due to milder winters and the lack of freezing in winter. Sea ice newly formed during each winter is not able to balance the Arctic sea ice melting during the summer season even if there are more new ice formed due to a larger ice free ocean undergoing freezing every year. During the past two years, we registered a sharp drop of more than 10 cm of sea ice thickness compared to the previous year indicating the phenomenon we just described as accelerating. This is mainly due to warm air masses and warm oceanic waters advected from the South to the Arctic Ocean. Based on these results, it is highly probable and almost inevitable that Arctic sea ice will disappear in summer within the coming 10 years with large consequences for the Earth’s climate in the Northern Hemisphere and also globally. We are already experiencing frequent cold air outbreaks at mid latitudes as well as heat waves propagating up to the North Pole as described recently (February 25, 2018) by the weather previsionist (Etienne Kapikian) from Meteo-France.

Recent Publications

  1. Gascard J-C, Riemann-Campe K, Gerdes R, Schyberg H, Randriamampianina R, et al. (2018) Future sea iceconditions and weather forecasts in the Arctic: implications for Arctic shipping. AMBIO 46:355–367.

  1. Gascard J-C, et al. (2015) General introduction to the DAMOCLES special issue. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 15:5377–5379.

  1. Bourgain P, Gascard J-C, Shi J and Zhao J (2013) Large scale temperature and salinity changes in the upper Canadian Basin of the Arctic Ocean at a time of a drastic Arctic oscillation inversion. Ocean Sciences 9:447–460.

  1. Bourgain P and Gascard J-C (2012) The Atlantic and Pacific waters variability in the Arctic Ocean from 1997 to 2008. Geophysical Research Letters 39.

  1. Bourgain P and Gascard J-C (2011) The Arctic Ocean halocline and its interannual variability from 1997 to 2008. Deep Sea Research I 58:745–756.

Keynote Forum

Sujata Law

Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, India

Keynote: Agricultural pesticide induced bone marrow aplastic anaemia and the hedgeAgricultural pesticide induced bone marrow aplastic anaemia and the hedgehog signaling scenariohog signaling scenario

Time : 10:00-10:30

Conference Series Climate Change 2018 International Conference Keynote Speaker Sujata Law photo
Biography:

Sujata Law did her PhD in Stem Cell Biology from the University of Calcutta and Postdoctoral studies in the field of Signal Transduction from Bose Institute, Kolkata. She is in the Faculty of Stem Cell Biology in the Department of Biochemistry & Medical Biotechnology at Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine a hundred years old government institution in Kolkata, India. She has teaching experience in the field of Physiology, Signal Transduction, Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering, Haematology, Stem Cells, Cellular Immunology, Cell Biology, and aspects of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at postgraduate level and received many research projects as Principal Investigator from various government scientific organizations like CSIR, ICMR, DST, DBT, etc. She has 57 publications in various international and national reputed journals and has guided many PhD students and delivered invited talks in India and abroad.

Abstract:

Multiple health hazards and fatalities from the widespread use of pesticides have been reported by the WHO. Developing countries primarily dependent on agriculture for their economies such as India, Bangladesh and Thailand are especially reliant on these chemicals. Consequentially, public health has been on a decline and there is a lacuna of knowledge about the effect of pesticide exposure on bone marrow haematopoietic system. The on-field scenario was mimicked in murine model to explore the consequences of chronic pesticide exposure. In the present work, we have developed an agricultural pesticide formulation (fungicide, organophosphate and pyrethroid) induced bone marrow aplasia mouse model to recapitulate the human aplastic anemia like condition in the laboratory to study the aplastic hematopoietic microenvironment in the light of Hh-GLI signaling pathway. Our study has unfolded the fact that chronic pesticide exposure caused downregulation of intrasignaling feedback of PATCH1 and GLI1 by inhibiting the SMO internalization and upregulating downstream negative regulators SU(FU), PKC-δ and βTrCP. Upregulation of negative regulators not only hampers the execution of the hedgehog signaling but also cripples the autocrine-paracrine crosstalk in between bone marrow primitive compartment and stromal compartment. Simultaneously, individual pesticide versus hedgehog signaling study revealed that hexaconazole disrupted hematopoietic hedgehog signaling activation by inhibiting SMO and facilitating PKC-δ expression. Contrarily, chloropyrifos increased the cytoplasmic sequestration and degradation of GLI1 by upregulating SU(FU) and βTrCP sequentially. Whereas, cypermethrin mediated antagonization of the hedgehog signaling was circumvented by non-canonical activation of GLI1. However, such marrow degenerative condition can be compensated by the recombinant sonic hedgehog. We can conclude that pesticide exposure induced bone marrow aplasia is the direct manifestation of downregulated hedgehog signaling in the bone marrow microenvironment.

 

  • Risks of Climate Change | Evidence of Climate Change | Oceans & Climate Change | Climate Change Challenges | Solutions for Climate Change | Enironmental Toxicology
Location: Bleroit 2
Speaker

Chair

Sara E Alexander

Baylor University, USA

Speaker

Co-Chair

Zhenghui Xie

Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Session Introduction

Rachida El Morabet

University Hassan II Casablanca, Morocco

Title: Impacts of climate change on the incidence of morbidity
Biography:

Rachida El Morabet holds a PhD in Biology from the Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco (2004), an Inter-University Diploma in Biotechnology, Paris, France (2001) and a University Pedagogy Certificate (teaching practices; learning theories; models assessment practices knowledge; educational resources and distance learning) (2014). She is an Associate Professor with the Department of Geography at FLSH-Mohammedia, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco; Member of the Laboratory: Dynamics of Space and the Society; Research Team: the Dynamics of Natural Environments and their Impacts on Society and Territories; and Member of Center CERES [Center of Environmental, Human Security and Governance Research]. Her research interests include environmental issues in the era of global change, socio-ecological system (vulnerability and adaptation), and dynamics of natural systems. She received two gold medals with Honors of International Exhibition of Invention and Innovation, Casablanca, Morocco.

Abstract:

Human health is seriously affected by the impacts of climate change. WHO (World Health Organization) and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) have published several reports describing negative impacts of climate change on human health; this has resulted in the epidemiology of many diseases and conditions. Climate change has both direct (psychological effects arising from cold, heat and extreme weather) and indirect (change in behavior, forced migration etc.) impacts on human health. In 2015, WHO confirmed that floods cause contamination of freshwater sources, increases the risk of water borne diseases, provides breeding places for vectors of infectious diseases. In Morocco, the intensity and recurrence are enhanced due to climate change is a worrying phenomenon in recent years as the loss of life and property has increased. The rise in temperature additionally adds to this problem as it exacerbates diseases and number of deaths. The impact on health varies from region to region within a country partly due to geographic conditions. The nature and scale of impact will depend on the buffer capacity of the health systems (adaption and initial access of population to health services). Extreme weather conditions can result in requirement of health services which may surpass the capacity of existing health facilities rendering them vulnerable in future. The findings make a case for the Moroccan national health strategists to recognize the importance of overcoming major health risks presented to the population and citizens of Morocco. This can be achieved by identifying climate risks for health as a major challenge to be overcome in order to provide maximum protection of human health of citizens against these threats.

Recent Publications

  1. El Morabet R (2018) Effects of outdoor air pollution on human health. Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.11012–7.

  1. El Morabet R, Aneflouss M and Mouak S (2018) Air pollution effects on health in Kenitra, Northern Morocco. Recent Advances in Environmental Science from the Euro-Mediterranean and Surrounding Regions. Springer DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-70548-4–570.

  1. Patz J A, Campbell-Lendrum D, Holloway T and Foley J A (2005) Impact of regional climate change on human health. Nature 438(7066):310.

Elena Surovyatkina

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany

Title: Climate warming shifts Indian monsoon season: Evidence from observation
Biography:

Elena Surovyatkina has her expertise in Theoretical Physics in the field of Theory of Critical Phenomena. She has contributed to the understanding of critical transitions with the new theory of nonlinear pre-bifurcation noise amplification and rate-depended phenomena. She discovered a new phenomenon of overcooling and overheating of critical temperatures in liquid crystals. Currently, her research is devoted to the spatially organized critical transitions in climate. The most significant contribution in climate dynamics is a new methodology of the earliest forecast of the Indian summer monsoon.

 

 

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The Indian summer monsoon is the season of rain. The economy of India can maintain its GDP in the wake of a good monsoon. However, if monsoon gets delayed by even two weeks, it can spell disaster because of the high population depending on agriculture—70% of its people are directly related to farming. In Central India, the variability of monsoon is quite high due to local changes such as rapid urbanization and industrialization. The forecasting of climate phenomena on a seasonal scale is a challenge, mostly because there is no recent historical precedent for such change in the climate system.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: We forecasted monsoon using our recently developed methodology, which is based on the theory of critical transitions. Our predictions rely on observations of near-surface air temperature and relative humidity from both the ERA-40 and NCEP/NCAR re-analyses. We performed our forecasts for the onset and withdrawal of monsoon for the Central part of India.

Findings: It was revealed that climate change affects the Indian summer monsoon in two aspects: in the last decade, the intensity of monsoon rainfalls in the Central part of India has increased, and the onset and withdrawal of the monsoon have been delayed. This is due to an increase in spring temperatures and a slower cooling in autumn that is linked to global warming. The novel approach allows accounting climate change effects and predicting the monsoon onset and withdrawal dates for 40 and 70 days in advance, respectively. The results show that our method allows predicting the monsoon not only retrospectively, but also in the future: in 2016 and 2017 both of our forecasts were successful. Hence, we proved that such early prediction of the monsoon timing is possible even under the conditions of climate change.

Recent Publications

  1. Tony J, Subarna S, Syamkumar K S, Sudha G, Akshay S, et al. (2017) Experimental investigation on preconditioned rate induced tipping in a thermoacoustic system. Scientific Reports–Nature 7(1):5414.

  1. Stolbova V, Surovyatkina E, Bookhagen B and Kurths J (2016) Tipping elements of the Indian monsoon: prediction of onset and withdrawal. Geophys. Res. Lett. 43:1–9.

  1. Apala Majumdar, John Ockendon, Peter Howell and Elena Surovyatkina (2013) Transitions through critical temperatures in nematic liquid crystals. Phys. Rev. E. 88: 022501.

  1. Surovyatkina E D , Kravtsov Yu A and Kurths J (2005) Fluctuation growth and saturation in nonlinear oscillator on the threshold of bifurcation of spontaneous symmetry breaking. Phys. Rev. E 72:046125.

  1. Surovyatkina E D (2004) Phenomenon of prebifurcation rise and saturation of the correlation time. Physics Letters A 329(3):169–172.

 

Anahit V Aleksandryan

Ministry of Nature Protection of Republic of Armenia, Armenia

Title: Dioxins and furans emissions: Characteristics and strength
Biography:

Anahit V Aleksandryan, graduated from Yerevan State University in 1978 with a Diploma in Biophysics. She defended her PhD thesis in Biology at St. Petersburg Institute of Continuing Medical Education in 1985 and then Doctoral Dissertation in Biology in 2011. Her main areas of expertise involve Industrial Toxicology, Ecology, and Hygiene. Since 1996, she is an Employee at the Ministry of Nature Protection of Republic of Armenia. Currently she is Head of Hazardous Substances and Waste Policy Division. She is the focal point of UNEP Stockholm Convention on POPs; UNEP Rotterdam Convention on PIC; Minamata Convention on Mercury; UNECE Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents; Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) and Environment and Health Process (WHO).

 

Abstract:

Open burning of waste at dumpsites is considered to be the easiest mode for wastes disposal, but is also a source of evident pollution and threat for human and environmental health. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/PCDFs, or dioxins/furans) are unwanted by-products of combustion processes. Dioxins belong to persistent environmental pollutants (POPs) and they arise concerns because of highly toxic potential. The known toxicity and persistence of some congeners in the environment has emphasized the necessity to assess releases of those supertoxicants at open burning of wastes in some areas of Armenia. Dioxins formation upon wastes burning depends on composition and combustion conditions. In order to identify characteristics and strength of emission sources of POPs from wastes open burning in different marzes (provinces) of Armenia and to calculate dioxins emissions to air and soil UNEP methodological guidance was used. To quantify emissions the ''emission factor'' describing dioxins and furans entry into environment/media per unit of activity was used, such as toxic equivalent quotient (TEQ). TEQ indicates the potential toxicity of the particular substance itself as related to the most powerful poison among all dioxins—2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). The sum of emission factors allows estimation of the total “dioxin” toxicity of the given source. The key research findings were as follows: emissions in air varied from 1.749 gTEQ/year (Ararat marz) to 9.382 gTEQ/year (Shirak marz), while emissions on land ranged from 0.061 gTEQ/year (Armavir marz) to 0.3128 gTEQ/year. Hence, efforts are required to reduce the current exposure.

 

Rong-Ming Hu

National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland

Title: On aerosol-chemistry-cloud-climate interactions and entanglements
Biography:

Abstract:

Aerosols and chemically reactive gases have important impacts on regional and global air quality and climate change. Despite decades of efforts, the model simulations of aerosols, chemically reactive gases and clouds are still uncertain due to the complex conundrum of aerosol-chemistry-cloud-climate interactions. The complicated entanglements and feedbacks among those atmospheric elements lead to a difficult and painstaking task for reducing the uncertainties in the future air quality and climate predictions. Nevertheless, the increasing demands for the accurate future air quality and climate information with high resolution require the high performance of multi-scale modelling. The Aerosol Chemistry Model Intercomparison Project (AerChemMIP) provides us a good opportunity to quantify the air quality and climate impacts of aerosols and chemically reactive gases. The project is designed to reduce the uncertainties in emissions, atmospheric compositions, radiative forcing and climate feedbacks, and improve the capabilities of model predictions. The outcomes of global model simulations will also be a benefit to improving the regional model simulations using the downscaling technique. With the amazing progress from ground-based, airborne and space-based measurements, we advocate an approach of integrating modelling and observation for model process studies, model validations and data assimilation. More in situ measurements and model improvements are necessary to better predict future air quality and climate change on multiple temporal and spatial scales.

Recent Publications

  1. Dhomse S, et al. (2018) Estimates of ozone return dates from chemistry climate model initiative simulations, atmospheric. Chemistry and Physics Discussions 1–40.

  1. Shere K, et al. (2013) Trace gas/aerosol boundary concentrations and their impacts on continental-scale AQMEII modelingsub-regions. Atmos. Environ. 53:38–50.

  1. Appel K W, et al. (2012) Examination of the community multiscale air quality(CMAQ) model performance over the North American and European domains. Atmos. Environ. 53: 142–155.

  1. Hu R-M, et al. (2009) Light scattering and absorption properties of dust particles retrieved from satellite measurements. JSQRT 110:1698–1705.

  1. Hu R-M, et al. (2009) New algorithms and their application for satellite remote sensing of surface PM2.5 and aerosol absorption. Journal of Aerosol Science 40(5):394–402.

 

 

Glen Gawarkiewicz

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA

Title: Recent shifts in continental shelf/slope oceanographic processes in the Northeastern United States
Biography:

Glen Gawarkiewicz is a Physical Oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research focuses on shelfbreak processes and the exchange of water masses between the continental shelf and the deep ocean. He has been involved in the planning and scientific direction for the Ocean Observatories Initiative, Pioneer Array. He works closely with the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation of Rhode Island on collaborative research.

 

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The continental shelf and slope region of the Northeastern United States is rapidly warming (. Record warming of the continental shelf occurred in 2012 due to a northward shift in the atmospheric jet stream during winter and a corresponding reduction in heat loss from the ocean in winter. Warming of the continental shelf occurs from both atmospheric effects as well as ocean advection.  How have oceanographic processes changed over the past ten years?

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A recent ocean observatory, the Ocean Observatories Initiative, Pioneer Array, is providing new data and insights into continental shelf and slope processes of New England. It has been in operation since 2014. In addition, a cooperative research program, the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Shelf Research Fleet is providing vertical profiles of temperature and salinity across the continental shelf south of New England since November 2014.

Findings: Data from both the Pioneer Array and Shelf Research Fleet show that there have been significant exchange events at the shelfbreak (edge of continental shelf) in which waters of Gulf Stream origin are carried considerable distances across the continental shelf. A particularly dramatic event in December 2016/January 2017 resulted in a warm temperature anomaly of over 5°C, lasting over a month across most of the continental shelf. Several other significant ring intrusion events have been observed since 2014.

Conclusion & Significance: The ring intrusion event led to significant ecological effects, including the presence of warm water species over the continental shelf in January 2017. Further work is necessary to understand Gulf Stream motions and their impact on the continental shelf south of New England (Andres 2016).

Recent Publications

  1. Gawarkiewicz G, R Todd, W Zhang, J Partida, A Gangopadhyay, et al. (2018) Recent changes in shelf break exchange processes as revealed by the OOI pioneer array. Oceanography 31:60–70.

  1. Andres M (2016) On the recent destabilization of the Gulf Stream path downstream of Cape Hatteras. Geophysical Research Letters 43:9836–9842.

  1. Chen K, Y Kwon and G Gawarkiewicz (2016) Interannual variability of winter spring temperature in the Middle Atlantic Bight: relative contributions of atmospheric and oceanic processes. Journal of Geophysical Research 121:4209–4227.

  1. Pershing A, M Alexander, C Hernandez, L Kerr, A LeBris, et al. (2015) Slow adaptation in the face of ocean warming leads to collapse of Gulf of Maine cod fishery. Science 350:809–812.

  1. Chen K, G Gawarkiewicz, S Lentz and J Bane (2014) Diagnosing the warming of the northeastern U.S. coastal ocean in 2012: a linkage between the atmospheric jet stream variability and ocean response. Journal of Geophysical Research 119:218–227.

 

Hyun-Ah CHOI

Hanns Seidel Foundation Korea, Republic of Korea

Title: International cooperation for DPRK’s environmental restoration
Biography:

Hyun-Ah Choi has completed her PhD from Korea University. She is currently a Reseacher at Hanns Seidel Foundation in Republic of Korea, based in Seoul, consulting NGOs, academic and public institutions in questions of unification and inter-Korean environment cooperation. She also works on sustainable development issues in the inner-Korean border area and from 2015 participates the survey as an Expert. Her research interests include international environment cooperation and ecosytem services assessment. Her publications include reserah articles in international journals like Journal of Forestry Research, Sustaniablity, Advances in Space Research and Journal of Plant Biology.

 

Abstract:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) lacks both technical capacity and knowledge to survey environmental problems. Recently, the DPRK has been opening to certain international environmental issues such as biodiversity, wetland protection, sustainable forest management, and agroforestry. In this study, we analysed recent DPRK’s international environmental cooperation for developing technical capacity. DPRK started projects with various international organisations including Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International for building plant protection capacity, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in collaboration with World Agroforestry Centre in China for sloping land management and agroforestry, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements for building capacity for organic agriculture development and Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) for improvement of rural living conditions through healthy forests and biodiversity. The international cooperation projects have been successfully introduced in model sites throughout several provinces of DPRK. It also increases the political support and concern of the DPRK government. Especially, HSF’s model site, Daedong-Gun, South Pyongan province in DPRK shows that the forest area in 2017 was increased and reduced their rate of loss, while in DPRK, severe forest fires have exacerbated the loss of forest. It appears the model site has a great possibility to prevent deforestation at local level. However, large scale restoration is required to restore the degraded land and environment in DPRK. To implement it on a larger scale, cooperation with international organizations and non-governmental organizations would be necessary.

Sara E Alexander

Baylor University, USA

Title: The political ecology of ‘climate change’ in Texas: A steep learning curve for West Texas wheat farmers
Biography:

Sara E Alexander, as an Applied Environmental Anthropologist, the majority of her research projects focus on the dynamics of human populations and environmental change, specifically climate change in most cases. A project she recently completed in several coastal communities in Belize, addresses the ways in which households respond to climate-related shocks. The research involved determining levels of vulnerability and devising a Resilience Index to examine specific responses and coping strategies to climate-related disturbances. In 2014, she conducted research in the western interior region of Belize to determine awareness and level of understanding of climate change on the part of those working in the tourism industry.

Abstract:

We live in a world of climate uncertainty where farmers pursue a variety of means to diminish vulnerability, utilizing strategies to respond to and mitigate against the effects of climate change. Specific responses include seeking new knowledge and training, using particular agricultural technologies, relying on institutional resources, and turning to both personal and professional social networks. The traditional model of agriculture as “performance”, ultimately affirms that risks, such as challenges associated with climate change, are entrenched within a structure of social, economic and biophysical mechanisms that are continuously being managed by farmers. Agricultural systems are correspondingly found in a setting of commonly-shared worldviews, social complexities, values, and cultural norms. In this landscape, the decisions farmers reach, entail meaning and direction that may be far more complex than an analysis focused solely on the more pragmatic economic principles and agricultural productivity standards. Rather, they comprise the farmer’s intuitive reasoning and socialization in addition to his/her technical and resource management skills. The author will present findings from an ethnographic pilot study aimed to illuminate farmers’ perspectives on changing weather patterns, climate change forecasts and their implications for viability of farming enterprises, all within the context of Texas wheat production. With focus on livelihoods and cultural values, risk management, and weather and climate change in terms of decision-making and wheat farming in west Texas, the study emphasizes what motivates farmers and how they themselves value those factors that contribute to their goals and aspirations, how farmers see themselves addressing climate risk in the context of a wide array of pressures, and how farmers respond to the communication of predictive information in light of their sense of place and self. 

Recent Publications

  1. Yohannes H (2016) A review on the relationship between climate change and agriculture. Journal of Earth Science and Climatic Change 7(2):335–342.

  1. Brugger Julie and Michael Crimmins (2013) The art of adaptation: living with climate change in the rural American Southwest. Global Environmental Change 23:1830–1840.

  1. Gosling Simon N and Nigel W Arnell (2013)        A global assessment of the impact of climate change on water scarcity. Climatic Change 134(3):371–385.

  1. Buys Laurie, E Miller and K van Megen (2012) Conceptualizing climate change in rural Australia: community perceptions, attitudes and (in) actions. Regional Environmental Change 12:237–248.

  1. Scherr Sara J, Seth Shames and Rachel Friedman (2012)             From climate-smart agriculture to climate-smart landscapes. Agriculture and Food Security 1:12–26.

Mohammad Alauddin

The University of Queensland, Australia

Title: Managing agricultural water use with alternate wetting and drying (AWD): towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6
Biography:

Mohammad Alauddin is an Applied Economist who has published extensively in the area of Development, Environment and Climate Change. He has published in all the top journals in Development and Environment, including Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, World Development, Ecological Economics and Land Use Policy, Agricultural Economics, and Environmental and Resource Economics.

 

Abstract:

Managing increasingly scarce irrigation water has become a major challenge to many countries in the face of changing climate and a rising population all over the world. United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6 emphasizes ensuring availability and sustainable water management. Target 6.4 emphasizes increasing water-use efficiency across all sectors and sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. Bangladesh government has incorporated the SDGs in its Seventh Five Year Plan (2016–2020) in which north western Bangladesh was identified as water scarce or drought-prone area. This is one of the three most climate vulnerable zones of the country that receives least rainfall and suffers from severe ground and surface water scarcity. Against this background, using farm-level survey data from rice growers and a probit model, this study aims to assess the economic effects of the use of alternative wetting and drying (AWD), a water saving technology, in Naogaon district of Bangladesh. Findings suggest that the use of AWD saves water, decreases production cost through reduced irrigation cost, and raises net benefit/gain significantly without reducing total rice production. Major policy implications include information dissemination about the use and benefit of AWD through farmers’ training/workshops or through farm-level agricultural officers. Agricultural officers should also encourage farmers to use a recently developed method named “dry direct seeded technology” that has the potential to save 60% irrigation water for irrigated rice in the dry season.

Recent Publications

 1.         Islam Z, Alauddin M, Sarker M A R (2017) Determinants and implications of crop production loss: An empirical exploration using ordered probit analysis. Land Use Policy 67:527–536.

 

2.         Kabir M J, Alauddin M and Crimp S (2017) Farm-level adaptation to climate change in Western Bangladesh: An analysis of adaptation dynamics, profitability and risks. Land Use Policy 64:212–224.

 

3.         Alauddin M, Sarker M A R (2014) Climate change and farm-level adaptation decisions and strategies in drought-prone and groundwater-depleted areas of Bangladesh: an empirical investigation. Ecological Economics 106:204–213.

 

4.         Alauddin M and Sharma B R (2013) Inter-district rice water productivity differences in Bangladesh: an empirical exploration and implications. Ecological Economics 93:210–218.

 

5.         Alauddin M and Quiggin J (2008) Agricultural intensification, irrigation and the environment in South Asia: issues and policy options. Ecological Economics 65:111–124.

 

Paul Alexander Comet

Houston, USA

Title: Waste, sustainability and money in controlling the carbon cycle and avoiding climate change
Biography:

Paul Alexander Comet has a MS in Geology from London University UK. & Ph.D from Bristol University UK. in Organic Geochemistry. He has extensive international experience in petroleum research & has published or coauthored some 50 papers. He was shipboard geochemist on ODP Leg 101 (Blake Bahama Plateau). He has worked at Core Labs. Singapore & Indonesia. Then at Texas A&M (GERG) where he was an associate research scientist working on mapping the Gulf of Mexico oils. His present interests include alternative energy, particularly as it relates to the waste stream, as well as the monetization of alternative energy for the building of a complementary “alternative society” for the disenfranchised. He has also worked at Sperry/Halliburton, where as a log analyst using XRF & XRD, on “unconventional reservoirs” he investigated some of the major oil producing basins of the USA.

Abstract:

A series of propositions are developed for controlling the carbon cycle by changing the way that we dispose our wastes. By defining contemporary biological carbon as neutral, fossil carbon as positive, and biochar as negative, an ideological framework can be easily developed for the creation of carbon negative societies. The capitalism vs. communism debate is revisited, but neither system addresses the waste problem, “linearity”, the nature of money nor the need for sustainability or even what to do with waste (mostly carbon-based) which normally ends up in the air, water or landfill. Economics, as a mechanism for evaluating the movement of goods and services throughout society, in terms of energy expenditure and waste generation on a cyclical basis is a relatively unexplored field. Waste can be defined as associated with a negative cost and economic entropy. Entropy can be reversed by inputting energy into a system. A range of potential analogies for the development of global carbon neutrality can be discussed. These include cellular biology and ecology as viewpoints for generation of ATP (used as the currency of any cell, whether autotrophic or heterotrophic). For human society (a superorganism based on many municipal “cells”) the development of a currency based on the “species” of alternative (electrical) energy, would be analogous to ATP. King Darius, used water dockets as currency in desert oases. By also referencing successful, premodern, economies, it may be possible to build an “alternative economy” based on wasteland, wastewater, waste-derived energy, wasted energy, etc., and most importantly, wasted people. This “second tier” economy would depend on the waste stream from the existing economy for its manufacturing, building materials, fertilizer, etc. and hence would complement the existing economy. Application of these simple ideas might also be appropriate in the building of a lunar base.

Recent Publications

Comet, P.A. (2017). Academia Journal of Environmental Science 5(9): 151-160, September 2017 DOI: 10.15413/ajes.2017.0516, ISSN: 2315-778X

Wilkinson T (2010) The rise and fall of Ancient Egypt. Bloomsbury Publishing., London, New York & Berlin. ISBN 978 0 7475 9949 4 Comet,P.A.,(2016),http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.s.20160 50301.13.pdf.

Fawzi M (2009). http://p2pfoundation.net/P2P_Energy _Economy.

Georgescu-Roegen N (1971) The entropy law and the economic process (Maxwellian demon quote, pg. 307; pg. 282). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

 

Jaime Senabre

University of Alicante, Spain

Title: Forest fires and social perception of the landscape: A study with Spanish population
Biography:

Jaime Senabre is a Psychologist and Environmental Consultant as well as the Chief of Brigade in a Forest Fire Service with more than 20 years of experience. He collaborates with several companies and institutions in the area of training in Psychology in Emergencies and Human Resources. He is Professor at the University of Valencia for Master’s in Intervention and Operational Coordination in Emergencies and Catastrophes and other postgraduate courses on emergencies. He is the Director and President of the International Scientific-Professional Committee of the National Symposium on Forest Fires (SINIF). He has lectured internationally and has been part of the organizing committee of several international congresses on Earth Sciences and Climate Change. He has published articles on forest fires, stress, psychosocial risks and emotional trauma, mainly in relation to emergency services and natural disasters. Currently, he is assigned to the research group on "Climate and Territorial Planning" (University of Alicante), where he researches on the social perception of forest fire risk and behavior in the event of possible disasters.

Abstract:

Forest fires are a global environmental problem that burn millions of hectares every year throughout the planet, causing human and economic losses as well as significant degradation of the natural environment. In Southern Europe, with Spain and Portugal at the head, 70% of the continent's forest fires occur. The growing human population and continuous occupation of the territory, exercise a role of domination and submission of nature. For this and other reasons, we can’t omit the involvement of humans in the probability of occurrence of fires in the world. At present, it seems obvious that we are experiencing a change of trend in aspects such as temperature and precipitation rates, something that, together with other environmental evidences, has been associated with global climate change. In this context and as it always did, fire plays a modulating role in the characteristics of the vegetation and the structure of the landscape. This last aspect is the one we focus on in this study. Some of our findings determine that 95.90%, of the Spanish population surveyed, consider that there is a representative and characteristic landscape in the area where they live. We have also found that the "recreational" value of landscape is greater than the "economic" value, an aspect that may be relevant when it comes to forest management and forest fires. On the other hand, we have been able to confirm the high concern of Spanish citizens for the threat posed by natural phenomena to the landscape of their community and, especially, the concern about the threat of forest fires on the landscape, where 80.34% of our sample has identified damage to the landscape due to the impact of forest fires. Studies on social perception are a good tool for planning and improving prevention and risk management, as well as for the development of environmental policies appropriate to each specific territory.

Recent Publications

  1. Senabre J (2018) Forest fires from the perspective of environmental psychology. Climate Change 4(13):58–68.

  1. Senabre J (2017) Wildland fires, climate change and society. J. Earth Sci Clim. Change 8(10).

  1. Senabre J (2016) Wildland fires and climate change. J. Earth Sci Clim. Change 7(5).

Suhendar I Sachoemar

Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, Indonesia

Title: Development of sustainable aquaculture on the base of Sato-Umi to anticipate the environment and climate change in the coastal area of Indonesia
Biography:

Suhendar I Sachoemar is Professor of Coastal and Fisheries Resources Management at Center of Agriculture Production Technology. Currently, he serves as Director of Center for Development, Education and Training of Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Also, serves as a National Group Leader of Physical Oceanography Group of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Asian Core Program to establish research and education network on coastal marine science in Southeast Asia and is the Head of Indonesian Research Society of BPPT. His research activities are focused on the assessment of coastal and fisheries resources management using Satellite Oceanography, Field Observation as well as Fisheries Oceanography and Hydro-Oceanography Dynamic study. At the moment, he is doing a research of Sato-Umi concept application for developing sustainable aquaculture model within Indonesian coastal area collaborate with North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). He is also engaged in creating a new strain of fish to support national food security, increasing fisheries productivity of the aquaculture and national fisheries techno park program. He is active in various national and international scientific meeting and dissemination of research result related on the sustainable fisheries resources and coastal management.

Abstract:

Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. Its coastline is about 95.181 km with a sea area of 5.4 million km2. Indonesia has 1.2 million hectares (ha) of brackish water pond area, but only 37.5% of them are used for aquaculture activities. However, marine culture area is only used about 2% from the 4.5 million ha that is available. The low utilization of brackish water pond and marine culture area are generally caused by environmental damage due to the excessive exploitation by intensive aquaculture activities during the period of 1980s and climate change that caused sea level rise in the coastal area. In line with the growth of global paradigm in the face of the environmental and climate change as response to the global warming, it is time for Indonesia to implement the concept of management and utilization of natural resources, taking into account the balance and stability of the natural resources and the environment, such as in the concept of Sato-Umi.  The integrated multi thropic aquaculture (IMTA) on the bases of bio-recycle system and Sato-Umi concept should be applied for sustainable aquaculture. An experiment of the IMTA in the brackish water pond as a closed system model (CSIMTA) has shown good performance in the production of multi species fisheries commodities as well as water quality stability. In the onshore area, developing of open system model of IMTA (OSIMTA) by combining seaweed culture and floating cage of multi species fisheries commodities also seem to have a good prospective to improve productivity of coastal area.  In the future, developing aquaculture models using the bio-recycle system to reduce and minimize the inorganic and organic waste from the remaining feed, faeces and the other sources will be useful to maintain sustainable aquaculture in the coastal area.

Recent Publications

  1. Suhendar I Sachoemar, Agung Riyadi and Wage Komarawidjaja (2017) Water productivity and fish abundance variability in the southern coastal area of Kalimantan revealed by satellite data. Jurnal Hidrosfir Indonesia. 13(1):55–60.

  1. Ratu Siti Aliah and Suhendar I Sachoemar (2016) Water quality at fish farming area of Hurun Bay, Lampung. Journal Hidrosfir Indonesia 12(3):125–130.

  1. Agung Riyadi and Suhendar I Sachoemar (2015) Coastal water productivity variability within Java region revealed by satellite data. Jurnal Teknologi Lingkungan 16(2):65–70.

  1. Ratu Siti Aliah and Suhendar I Sachoemar (2015) Evaluation the environmental of Batam mariculture area. Jurnal Hidrosfir Indonesia 11(2):85–90.

  1. S I Sachoemar, T Yanagi and R S Aliah (2014) Sustainable aquaculture to improve productivity and water quality of marginal brackish water pond. Journal of Coastal Marine Science 37(1):1–8.

William W Dougherty

Climate Change Research Group, USA

Title: energy-water-health nexus under climate change in the United Arab Emirates—impacts and implications
Biography:

William W Dougherty has worked over the past 20 years on a wide variety of climate change related issues, with an emphasis on greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation to climate change. He has assisted governments in the development of national GHG mitigation and adaptation strategies, led vulnerability assessments, formulated project documents, analyzed energy efficiency and renewable energy options for achieving emission reductions, and contributed to the development of methodological approaches, training programs and software tools that are used throughout the world. He has been invited as a Speaker or Expert Participant in meetings of the World Bank, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Development Bank, the World Future Energy Summit, and the United Nations Environment Programme. He has worked throughout North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East in support of national government agencies, multi-lateral organizations, and development banks. He has authored or co-authored over 100 research reports.

Abstract:

Climate change poses serious energy, water and health challenges for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While closely interconnected, the development of sustainable energy, water and health policies has typically been viewed as independent, sector-specific planning challenges. However, changing demographics, a rapidly growing economy, increasing reliance on desalination, and worsening air quality—all taking place as climate change unfolds— suggest a need for a more integrated approach to risk management. Accounting for the interactions between an “energy-water-health nexus” is one way to ensure that development strategies are considered within a framework that addresses the range of potential tradeoffs, risks, and synergies. To address the energy-water-health nexus under a changing climate, research activities were undertaken as part of the Local, National, and Regional, Climate Change Programme (LNRCCP) of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI). Climate change modeling at the regional spatial scale (Arabian Peninsula; Arabian Gulf) was first carried out to establish the atmospheric and marine physical conditions that will underlie energy, water, and health challenges in the future. The results of this modeling were then used as inputs to an analysis of policies that aim to account for the linkages across the energy-water nexus in one hand and the energy-health nexus on the other. The results show that climate change will render an extreme hyper-arid climate even more so, while the waters of the Arabian Gulf will experience heightened salinity, changing circulation patterns, and higher temperatures under intensifying desalination activities. The analysis of the energy-water nexus shows that a range of water/energy efficiency and renewable energy measures can lead to significant reductions in energy use and annual greenhouse gas emissions, while coming at negative societal cost. The analysis of the energy-health nexus shows that the gradual introduction of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures can lead to substantial decreases in premature mortality and health care facility visits in urban areas.

Recent Publications

  1. Schile L, Kauffman J, Crooks S, Fourqurean J, Campbell J, et al. (2018) Limits on carbon sequestration in arid blue carbon ecosystems. Ecological Applications 27(3): 859–874.

  1. Dougherty W, Yates D, and Kucera P (2017) Public health co-benefits of the diffusion of innovative greenhouse gas mitigation technologies in Abu Dhabi, Innovative Energy & Research S1:002.

  1. Haidera M, Alhakimi S, Noaman A, Al Kebsi A, Noaman A, et al. (2011) Adapting to climate change-water scarcity for Yemen's vulnerable communities. Local Environment 16(5):473–488.

  1. Dougherty W, Kartha S, Rajan C, Lazarus M, Bailie A, et al. (2009) Greenhouse gas reduction benefits and costs of a large-scale transition to hydrogen in the USA. Energy Policy 37:56–67.

Pavel Kishcha

Tel Aviv University, Israel

Title: Steady shrinking of the Dead Sea as a result of climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean
Biography:

Pavel Kishcha graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1979 with an MSc in Physics, and received PhD in Geophysics from the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, in 1985. Currently, he is a Senior Research Scientist at the Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences of Tel-Aviv University (TAU). His research interests include investigation of heating in the uppermost layer of the Dead Sea and long-term trends in Dead Sea surface temperature based on satellite measurements; aerosol physics and aerosol numerical modeling in the atmosphere; aerosol spatial distributions and trends based on satellite and ground-based aerosol measurements. He has been producing daily operational numerical predictions of desert dust storms over the Sahara desert and adjacent regions since 2006. He is the Author of over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The coastal area of the hypersaline terminal lake of the Dead Sea is a unique area of dry land of the lowest elevation on Earth (-420 m a.s.l.). The Dead Sea has been drying up over the last four decades: the water level has dropped at the rate of approximately 1 m year-1. The Dead Sea drying up is due to climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is expressed by the lack of water inflow from the Jordan River, a decreasing tendency in rainfall over the last 40 years and increasing evaporation. Climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean is accompanied by a positive feedback loop between the shrinking of the Dead Sea and the increasing trend in Dead Sea surface temperature (SST) of 0.6°C per decade. This causes increasing evaporation and the continuing disappearance of the Dead Sea.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: To estimate the effect of climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean on the Dead Sea, we analyzed yearly data of Dead Sea water levels based on available measurements from 1992 until the present. Several factors could influence the observed Dead Sea water level drop, such as long-term changes in evaporation, in SST, in solar radiation and in near-surface wind. To estimate long-term trends in SST, satellite MODIS data were used.

Conclusion & Significance: We found that there is a positive feedback loop between Dead Sea shrinking and increasing SST. Additional heating of Dead Sea surface water (as a result of Dead Sea shrinking) is leading to an increase in water evaporation, consequently, to some additional decrease in Dead Sea water levels, eventually to subsequent shrinking of the Dead Sea water area. This positive feedback loop leads to acceleration in the Dead Sea water level drop causing a continuing hazard to this hypersaline lake.

Recent Publications

  1. Kishcha P, Pinker R, Gertman I, Starobinets B and Alpert P (2018) Observations of positive sea surface temperature trends in the steadily shrinking Dead Sea. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences Discussion 2018:1–15.

  1. Kishcha P, Starobinets B, Gertman I, Ozer T and Alpert P (2017) Observations of unexpected short-term heating in the uppermost layer of the Dead Sea after a sharp decrease in solar radiation. International Journal of Oceanography 2017:1–12.

  1. Kishcha P, Starobinets B, Savir A, Alpert P and Kaplan M (2017) Foehn-induced effects on dust pollution, frontal clouds and solar radiation in the Dead Sea valley. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 30(3):295–309.

  1. Kishcha P, Rieger D, Metzger J, Starobinets B, et al. (2016) Modeling of a strong dust event in the complex terrain of the Dead Sea valley during the passage of a gust front. Tellus B 68:29751.

  1. Kottmeier C, Agnon A, Al-Halbounib D, Alpert P, Kishcha P, et al. (2016) New perspectives on interdisciplinary earth science at the Dead Sea: the DESERVE project. Science of the Total Environment 544(2016):1045–1058.