The International Academic Forum in conjunction with its global partners is proud to announce the Second Annual Asian Conference on Sustainability, Energy and the Environment, to be held from May 3-6 2012, at the Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

CONFERENCE THEME: “Working Together Towards a Sustainable World”

Sustainability has emerged as the most important global issue for business, industry, government, and academia, and yet to begin with sustainability was associated only with environmental concerns such as energy and global warming. It is now recognized that the concept of sustainability is applicable to all areas of human society, for example in terms of social/economic justice, or responsible business practice. Issues such as poverty, hunger, education, health care, and access to markets should be a part of the evolution of any comprehensive sustainability paradigm as we work together to achieve a sustainable future.

ACSEE 2012 will address these various dimensions of human sustainability as we invite scholars from around the world to address questions and search for solutions to the complex issues surrounding sustainability in a forum encouraging serious and thoughtful exchange between academics, members of the global business community, and practitioners in the fields of human endeavor that link these.

We call on scientists from around the globe to meet and share our respective outlooks and collective wisdom on a critical issue of common concern: the pursuit of a sustainable world. It is a sincere hope that attendees will use this time together, not just for intellectual discovery and discourse, but to establish a common vision and to motivate each other to do our part in the creation of a better world. We greatly appreciate your attendance and encourage your active engagement throughout the conference.

Call for Papers Now Open: Abstract Submissions Deadline February 1 2012

Visit the website for more information.

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A  Special Issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production on Sustainable Urban Transformation

The emerging concept of “Sustainable Urban Transformation” places the emphasis on understanding cities as a source of possibilities, promoting active collaboration among diverse stakeholders (particularly researchers and practitioners), and integrating different perspectives and bodies of knowledge and expertise.

This Special Issue on “Sustainable Urban Transformation” calls for contributions that advance knowledge and understanding related to a range of topics, including: governance and planning, innovation and competitiveness, lifestyle and consumption, resource management and climate mitigation and adaptation, transport and accessibility, buildings, and social interaction and public space.

Contributions can address some or all of these dimensions. Contributions that address relevant issues that are creatively beyond these categories will also be welcomed. Authors are encouraged to highlight and explore examples of city initiatives that clearly document “walking the talk” of sustainable development.

Extended Abstracts due October 15, visit the site for more information.

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30440/description#description

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We invite interested academics, graduate students, practitioners and activists to join us in exploring research and teaching related to environmental studies in Canada. Various formats will be considered, including: papers, roundtable discussions, film screenings, posters, audio-visual submissions, etc. We welcome proposals for joint sessions with other scholarly associations.

Deadline for proposals: January 31, 2009.

Potention themes include (but are not limited to):
Eco-pedagogy
Sustainable food systems
Environmental activism
Political ecology
Environmental conflict/peace
Community engagement
Conservation
Environment & culture
Ecological resilience
Urban/rural sustainability
Sustainable livelihoods
Sustainable consumption
Ecopoetics
Religion & ecology
Health & environment
Sustainability & media

To submit a proposal: Send an abstract of no more than 250 words, plus title, list of participants, contact details and desired format to: esac2009 @gmail.com.

Questions can be directed to: Patricia Ballamingie, ESAC Conference Chair, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University. Tel.: (613) 520-2600, ext. 8566, E-mail: esac2009 @gmail.com.

The Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC) is a learned society formed in 1993. ESAC is a non-profit, federally incorporated, bilingual organization open to members from across Canada and elsewhere. We welcome members from educational institutions, government agencies, non-profits and the private sector.

For more information on ESAC, go to: http://thegreenpages.ca/esac/

Call for Papers
The Centre for Maritime Research (MARE) at the University of Amsterdam announces its fifth biennial conference, People and the Sea V: living with uncertainty and adapting to change’. Since its inception in 2001, the international MARE People and the Sea conference has established itself as one of the leading interdisciplinary forums for debate and learning in the realm of maritime and coastal research and policy. The 2009 conference is the fifth in the series and builds on previous conference outcomes that have clearly placed the capabilities of social sciences on the agenda of wider maritime interests. This conference bridges several debates on coastal change and questions how people, around the globe, are tackling the challenge of living with uncertain futures and adapting, or not, to a myriad of changes.

Five conference themes address the challenges of uncertainty over coastal change across different, but strongly connected sectors.
1. Transformations in fisheries and aquaculture
2. Transformations in coastal and deltaic landscapes
3. Governing under conditions of uncertainty
4. Culture and imaginations of coasts under change
5. Whose needs count in adapting to change?

There will be keynote addresses by:
Professor Fikret Berkes (Canada Research Chair, University of Manitoba)
Professor Alpina Begossi (State University of Campinas, Brazil)
Professor Edmund Penning Rowsell (Middlesex University, UK)

Panels will be 1.5 hours in length and should contain 3-4 paper presentations. All panel proposals and paper abstracts must be submitted electronically along with the conference pre-registration form available at www.marecentre.nl. The deadline for panel proposal and abstract submission is 31 January 2009. The conference committee will communicate its decision with regard to the various submissions by 6 March 2009. Where permitted, all presented papers will be included in the conference proceedings. We will also invite selected authors of full papers to publish in a special issue of the Journal of Maritime Studies (MAST).

The conference fee is €345,-. Up to twenty graduate students who have been accepted for paper presentations will be given a reduced fee of €175. We strive to provide support to participants from developing countries. Please contact Bas Bolman for details on this. This year, we will also be giving awards for the best paper, best student paper and a special recognition award for best ‘popularizer’ of the sea.

Cancellation policy: Once your abstract has been accepted for our conference we expect that you will attend the conference. We therefore request that you register and pay the conference fees before 31 March, 2009. Failure to do so will normally result in removal of your paper from the programme. Refunds are allowed only in exceptional cases. In case you want to withdraw your paper from our conference, we ask you to inform us promptly.

For more information about the conference see www.marecentre.nl. All queries may be directed to Bas Bolman (conference @marecentre.nl).

This call for proposals is co-funded by CCAA and IDRC’s Urban Poverty and Environment program. The application and project development process is led by CCAA.

Full details on this call can be found at: www.idrc.ca/ccaa-urbancall. Completed applications, accompanied by full proposals, must be submitted no later than midnight, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), November 30, 2008 to: ccaa-urbancall @idrc.ca

The Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) research and capacity development program is jointly funded by IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).