Survival in the Third Millennium

An international science round table for the media

This is one of the themes to be discussed by seven experts from a partnership of major global environmental change programmes* at a roundtable discussion for the media during PrepCom4 in Bali. The event will be chaired by Bambang Harimurthi, Director of Indonesia's 'Tempo' magazine. Journalists are invited to attend or report from a distance at http://www.igbp.kva.se/prepcom4/ Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

The panel will present their latest research, giving regional and global examples of why science is crucial for a sustainable future. Topics will include:

• You've heard of El Ni--o and La Ni--a, but what are MJOs?! The relatively unknown Madden-Julian Oscillations (MJOs) are a major cause of floods and cyclones in SE Asia and North Australia. A new technique underway promises to give advance warning of events such as the Jakarta floods in February this year.

• Over millennia, Asian mangroves have been absorbing 1.5 tonnes/ha/year of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. However, removal of mangroves, primarily for shrimp farming, exposes the soil and releases 50 times this amount back into the atmosphere each year. If current deforestation proceeds at this rate, mangroves may be completely wiped out in some areas within 20 years, severely altering the region's capacity to absorb greenhouse gases.

• Overfishing in Asia has reduced the largest and most commercially-preferred marine species to 5% of their 1930s abundance. A better understanding of the genetic diversity of fish populations may hold the key to managing marine fish stocks and conserving biodiversity.

• Poor infrastructure, inefficient technology and inappropriate building practices are major challenges for the 15 megacities projected for Asia by 2015. Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo are the focus of a new international project that investigates energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. The study projects the future situation under different scenarios and proposes countermeasures.

• Tropical forests may be wiped out in Indonesia if today's deforestation rate of 4 million ha/year continues, leading to loss of biodiversity, endangering rare species, and severely impacting on economic development.

A common theme, and one of the calls of the WSSD process, is that international cooperation is needed for sustainable management of SE Asian resources. This will require tailored conservation and development strategies. This roundtable will help to bridge the information gap between science and policymakers.

For a full programme, speaker biographies and other details click here.

For further information and to register for this event, contact:

Clare Bradshaw, IGBP Science Communicator
[email protected]
ph: +46 8 673 9593, fax: +46 8 1664 05

Elisabeth Dyck, IHDP Information Officer
[email protected]
ph & fax +43 1 888 09 60

The speakers are:

• Dr. Gisbert Glaser, Senior Advisor on Science for Sustainable Development, ICSU, Paris

• Prof. Jin Eong Ong, Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, Universiti Sains, Malaysia

• Ms Carmen Ablan, ICLARM � The World Fish Center, Malaysia

• Dr. Matthew Wheeler, Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, Australia

• Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan

• Prof. Daniel Murdiyarso, Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia

• Dr. Louis Lebel, Chiang Mai University, Thailand

With Dr Robert Wasson (IGBP and a UN WSSD Science Expert), Prof Oran Young (IHDP and Dartmouth College, USA), and Dr Mahendra Shah (IIASA) also present as discussion panellists and available for interview.

Journalists are advised to book flights and hotels as soon as possible, as both are filling up fast. We regret that we cannot help you with this, but you can find a lot of helpful information at: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/media_info/media_info.html

All media will also require a visa.

Note:
ICSU = International Council for Science (http://www.icsu.org)
IGBP = International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (http://www.igbp.kva.se)
IHDP = International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (http://www.ihdp.org)
WCRP = World Climate Research Programme (http://www.wmo.ch/web/wcrp/wcrp-home.html)
DIVERSITAS = an international programme of biodiversity science(http://www.icsu.org/DIVERSITAS/)
START= Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training(http://www.start.org)