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Top Climate Researchers Meet in Copenhagen

The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute is well represented at the International Alliance of Research Institutes' Climate Change: Global risks, challenges and decisions conference, being held at Copenhagen University 10-12th March.

The conference is one of the world’s largest ever interdisciplinary events on climate change with more than 2,000 participants from around 80 countries. The Climate Congress was opened on 10th March by Connie Hedegaard, the Danish Minister of Climate and Energy, and John Ashton, climate advisor to the British Government.

In the session, ‘Adapting Human Land Use to Climate Change’, Iain Brown is presenting a poster on ‘Land capability: a strategic planning tool for integrated climate change responses’, which also involved Willie Towers, Mike Rivington and Helaina Black; Guillaume Pajot is presenting a poster: 'Rural community engagement and climate change in Scotland; perceptions and potential responses', which also involved Bill Slee and Tony Craig and Richard Aspinall will be presenting a poster entitled, ‘Mapping and modelling ecosystem services in land systems ' in conjuction with Eleanor Milne.

Mike Rivington is presenting a poster entitled 'the need for better science-stakeholder relations in policy and practice: agro-meteorological metrics as tools for communication and strategic planning' that also involves Keith Matthews, Kevin Buchan and Dave Miller in the ‘Adapting Future Agricultural Production to Climate Change’ session.

In ‘The Role of Forests in Mitigation Climate Change’ session, Robin Matthews is presenting a poster on the REDD-ALERT project (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation through Alternative Land uses in Rainforests of the Tropics).  Evaluating global-level climate policy options and their local level implementation

Nick Gotts is presenting a poster on The GILDED Project - governance, infrastructure, lifestyle dynamics and energy demand, involving Lee-Ann Sutherland and project partners in the session, ‘Beyond Technology: Changing the Way We Live?’

The purpose of the event is to add the latest research on climate change compiled in the IPCC reports. The outcome of the congress will be summed up in a report to be given to political negotiators as preparation for COP15 in December in Copenhagen where a new global climate agreement is to be negotiated.

It is crucial that politicians are able to base decisions regarding the potential application of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies on the best possible scientific foundation, and this event allows researchers to share their climate change knowledge with political decision makers.

You can find more stories about the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute in the latest edition of our newsletter, in-land.

News about upcoming events can be found here.

Media releases can be found here.