Call for Contributions: Conference on Climate Change and Climate Justice

September 25th 2020 | In cooperation with the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA), Reiner Lemoine Institute is organizing its first conference on climate change and climate justice. A special focus of the conference is to involve as many different voices and perspectives as possible in the discussion.We are looking forward to receiving submissions of classical scientific papers as well as other formats like videos, lectures, workshops, etc.

Scope of the conference

The climate crisis leads to far-reaching shifts in the world’s ecological, social and economic systems. These shifts are rapidly reshaping the realities and livelihoods of humanity, which is both victim and cause of these changes. We therefore need systems, societies, and individuals that are capable of adapting quickly to these changes and at the same time mitigate climate change. In addition, system changes are not taking place in the same form and intensity worldwide, which means that “climate injustice” is gaining momentum as a research topic and movement. The concepts of justice are also gaining importance in environmental and climate activism.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) includes the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”. This requires international regimes to mitigate and adapt to climate change in order to derive fair strategies for implementing climate stability. Innovative compensation regimes for sharing the burden of climate change through bonds help to distribute the burden of climate change more evenly between present and future generations. The derivation of appropriate policy recommendations for the broader society should ensure that the burden, but also the benefits of climate change, are shared fairly and equitably within society, between countries, and over time.

“Interconnected voices: Climate change, equity, and the way forward” offers a view on climate justice within the broader context of climate change in 2020 by focusing on a variety of processes, strategies, practices, and stakeholders. The two-day online conference aims to discuss these challenges in an interdisciplinary and integrative way. Instead of moving researchers and thereby emitting additional and avoidable CO2, we want to move ideas, inspiration, and motivation in our interactive online format.

Climate change is a global and urgent topic that requires the thinking power of all existing minds. Creating a workspace where currently underrepresented groups can enter will encourage more diverse perspectives, have a wider reach, and enable more creative, holistic, and sustainable solutions to the pressing problems we face. The aim of this conference is to include a wider range of diverse voices into the discussion.

The conference will take place on 25th and 26th November 2020 as a virtual event.

Sessions:

25th November 2020: Climate Change

  • Challenges of climate change on water, energy and environment
  • Technical solutions – renewable energy
  • Economic solutions
  • Socio-political solutions
  • Interdisciplinary solutions

26th November 2020: Climate INjustice

  • Different perspectives on climate justice
  • Workshops on climate justice: how can we work on inclusive solutions?

Important dates

15th October 2020                      Deadline for submission of contributions

1st November 2020                    Notification of accepted contributions

25th – 26th November 2020       Online conference with possible conference hub(s) in Germany and the Arab world