Global Climate Change Emergency Leads to First World Forum on Climate Justice

Top speakers will address some of the most difficult socio-economic issues the world is facing as a result of climate change – including people trafficking, conflict and spread of disease 

OXFORD, England, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier and the Glasgow Caledonian University Centre for Climate Justice are pleased to announce a partnership that will provide the platform to discuss the impacts of climate change on weather forecasting, people trafficking and growing spread of mosquito-borne malaria, among other topics, at the first World Forum on Climate Justice, June 19-21, 2019 at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU).

This inaugural conference brings together an outstanding line-up of international speakers, led by Mary Robinson, Kerry Kennedy and Professor Tahseen Jafry. Difficult conversations around the current and future impact of climate change on the world's societies and economies will be explored, to aid further promotion and collaboration about the latest science and thinking as to how these issues can be tackled.

Around one hundred short talks will cover the diverse challenges posed by climate change: from the impact on fair access to food and water to the spread of diseases like malaria; the growing vulnerability of communities to extreme weather events; and the resulting challenges on migration and population displacement. This Forum brings a diverse range of expertise in the emerging field of Climate Justice together for the first time to consider the impact climate change is already having on people and their communities across the world.

Mary Robinson's international leadership, through her Foundation, has done much to raise the profile of Climate Justice. She was among the first to recognize the droughts, floods or sea-level rise linked to climate change will affect every country on the planet, but not everyone will be impacted in the same way. Her opening address will highlight the ever-more disproportionate burden on the poorest and the politically and socio-economically marginalized.

"We cannot place our faith in future technologies to fix this problem," said Conference Chair and Director of GCU's Centre for Climate Justice, Professor Tahseen Jafry. "Addressing this widening disparity and the resulting climate injustice requires a concerted, collaborative effort across disciplines and I believe this Forum will help deliver that.

"I am excited to bring together so many leading researchers from the international scientific community and NGOs. We have been overwhelmed by the interest in this new event and it will be an important platform for fostering collaboration, networking and wider engagement in climate justice."

Keynote speakers include:

• Mary Robinson, Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, Republic of Ireland
  Talk: Climate Justice: The way to accelerate ambition for a safe world
  
  
• Penelope Endersby, Chief Executive, Met Office, UK
  Talk: Contributing to climate justice through accurate predictions and in-country capacity development
  
  
• Patrick Bond, Professor of Political Economy, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
  Talk: Conceptual and strategic conflicts within climate justice
  
  
• Kerry Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, USA
  Talk: Title to be announced
  
  
• Benjamin K. Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex, UK
  Talk: Decarbonisation and its discontents: A critical justice perspective on four low-carbon transitions
  
  
• Yifat Susskind, Executive Director, MADRE, USA
  Talk: Weathering the storm, Seeding the future: A women's vision for climate justice
  
  
• Kevin Bales, Professor of Contemporary Slavery, University of Nottingham, UK
  Talk: Slavery in the Anthropocene: the vicious cycle of slavery, ecocide, climate change, and supply chains
  
  
• Kristie L. Ebi, Professor of Global Health, University of Washington, USA
  Talk: Health risks of a changing climate can increase climate injustice

Full program information can be viewed via the conference page at www.elsevier.com/events/conferences/world-forum-on-climate-justice/programme. 

Notes for editors

Press passes are available to credentialed journalists upon request; please contact Nina Cosgrove at n.cosgrove@elsevier.com or +44-1865-843-297.

About Glasgow Caledonian University Centre for Climate Justice

The Centre for Climate Justice conducts research and educational activities on climate justice with the goal of promoting challenging conversations on the societal impacts of climate change, gaining deeper insights of climate inequality and changing the narrative on climate action to incorporate more human-centered approaches. Founded five years ago in partnership with the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice as part of Glasgow Caledonian University's Common Good mission, the multi-disciplinary team is led by Director, Professor Tahseen Jafry. The Centre is conducting ground-breaking international research and is increasingly influential in shaping policy at a Scottish and UK level. www.gcu.ac.uk/climatejustice

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps scientists and clinicians to find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most urgent human crises. For 140 years, we have partnered with the research world to curate and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we're committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com

Media contacts

Nina Cosgrove, Press pass requests
Elsevier
+44-1865-843-297
n.cosgrove@elsevier.com

Rob Flett, Speaker interviews & climate justice background information
Glasgow Caledonian University
+44-141-331-8901  
+44-7764-335-793
rob.flett@gcu.ac.uk

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