London to host major scientific conference on sustainable development

Planet under pressure : New knowledge towards solutions

[|planetunderpressure2012.net|]

London to host major conference to provide scientific leadership towards the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio+20

A major new conference will take place in London, 26-29 March 2012 to review the pressure planet Earth is now under and discuss solutions at all scales to move societies on to a sustainable pathway. Planet under Pressure 2012 will attract 2500 participants representing global-change science, policy, business and development communities and provide scientific leadership towards the 2012 UN Rio +20 conference. It will aim to provide a new vision for international research, build trans-disciplinary research communities and identify opportunities for enhanced partnerships between global change science and policy, industry and the public.

The conference will take place at the ICC London at Excel in East London.

The four-day conference is sponsored by the International Council for Science’s (ICSU) global environmental change research programmes. It will bring together natural, physical and social scientists, together with economists. It will also involve engineers, health specialists and many others disciplines, plus with national and international policymakers, industry representatives, technologists, NGOs and development experts.

The conference, 26-29 March 2012, will take two months prior to the next UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, scheduled for May 2012. Presenting the latest research findings, the London conference is anticipated to provide a solid scientific foundation for the summit.

The conference has been initiated by ICSU’s International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). IGBP Executive Director, Professor Sybil Seitzinger says, "We need a planetary conference focusing on solutions."

Call for sessions are now open - deadline 18 March 2011

The Scientific Organising Committee invites proposals for parallel sessions in line with the conference themes and daily conference outline.

For further information and registration details, go to : www.planetunderpressure2012.net