[enviro-vlc] Fwd: Coastal Cities Summit: Values & Vulnerabilities

[Vern Weitzel]

Subject: Coastal Cities Summit: Values & Vulnerabilities
Date: Thu, 01 May 2008 11:08:56 -0500
From: Mara Hendrix <mara at spadmin.usf.edu>
Reply-To: Mara Hendrix <mara at spadmin.usf.edu>
To: Climate Change Info Mailing List <climate-l at lists.iisd.ca>

COASTAL CITIES SUMMIT: VALUES & VULNERABILITIES

REGISTRATION & ABSTRACT SUBMISSION OPEN!!

JOIN US!!

IMPORTANT DATES

May 15, 2008: Deadline for Abstract Submission

•	July 1, 2008: Authors will be informed on selection by e-mail
•	October 15, 2008:  Deadline for Final Submissions
•	July 31, 2008: Deadline for early registration


The International Ocean Institute-USA and the city of St. Petersburg, FL, USA, 
are hosting a Coastal Cities Summit on November 17-20, 2008, to address the 
complex challenges that coastal city leaders face as populations increase, 
resources are depleted, and the impacts of climate change are felt.  The Coastal 
Cities Summit intends to bring together 600-700 coastal city leaders, managers 
and academics to discuss environmental, social, economic, and public policy 
challenges and viable solutions.

Full details are available at www.coastalcities.org

The 3 ½ day conference will focus on three themes: Climate Change, Risk and 
Vulnerability, and Sustainable Development.  The planners are soliciting 
speakers on areas that are particularly relevant to coastal cities: freshwater, 
pollution, energy, infrastructure, and port security.  All sessions are intended 
to give a long-needed voice to those who are on the front lines taking 
leadership on climate change, providing implementation and response plans and 
continuing to focus on protecting citizens from possible extreme events and 
human-induced degradation.

SPEAKERS:
•	Martin Parry - Co-Chair, IPCC 2nd Working Group
•	Leon Panetta - Panetta Institute for Public Policy
•	Jeremy Harris - former mayor of Honolulu
•	Roberto Rosselli - Venice Water Authority
•	John Ogden - Florida Institute of Oceanography
•	Paul Holthus - World Ocean Council
•	Richard Wainio - Tampa Port Director
•	Saskia Sassen - Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, author of 
UN-Habitat report
•	Victor Lu, Vice President, Hunt Power - alternative resources
•	Wayne Joseph – Global Water Partnership
•	Carlos Fernandez-Jauregui, Coordinator, United Nations Office to Support the 
International Decade for Action, “Water for Life, 2005-2015”

You may already be familiar with the International Ocean Institute (IOI) and its 
26 operational centers around the world.  IOI-USA is the newest center, 
established in St. Petersburg, FL in 2006 by agreement between IOI headquarters 
in Malta and the University of South Florida (USF). The mission of IOI-USA is to 
provide an international center of excellence in education, training, 
development, and capacity building, with particular interest in coastal and 
marine areas. The University of South Florida (USF), established in 1956 as a 
public university, is a comprehensive multi-campus research university serving 
more than 42,000 students.  It is home to the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for 
Global Solutions, a center dedicated to promoting sustainable healthy 
communities around the world, and one of the co-organizers of the event. The 
resources and expertise of USF allow IOI-USA to offer an outstanding conference 
program that will attract attendees from around the world. Further information 
on the conference can be found at its website: www.coastalcities.org.

Background
Approximately 2.7 billion people--over 40% of the world’s total 
population--currently live in coastal cities. In 1995 alone, an estimated 50 
million people migrated to the coastal zones of the United States. Combined with 
increasing birth rate and life expectancy, as well as future climate change, the 
escalating strain on public resources means that coastal city managers face 
unprecedented challenges.

Abstracts are invited for individual paper proposals, panel proposals, and round 
table proposals that address either I) Coastal City Challenges, II) Coastal City 
Practices, or III) Coastal City Solutions in one of the following broad thematic 
areas:

Climate change
Risk and Vulnerability
Sustainable Development


Some suggested topics (but not limited to):
Waste water management
Coastal zone management
Ocean governance
Infrastructure – built environment
Energy – traditional & alternative
Population growth – urbanization
Freshwater supplies & availability
Land reclamation
Coastal resiliency
Natural coastal defenses
Sea level rise
Tourism
Coastal hazards
Pollution of coastal resources
Port & Maritime security
City planning
Aquaculture
Risk management
Sustainable development
Insurance
Networks and system development
Monitoring and evaluation
Ocean resource use and planning
International instruments and trans-boundary relations
Human/animal impacts
Ecological impacts of ocean acidification
Technology
Stakeholder involvement
Indigenous issues
Improving public knowledge
Incorporating traditional and local knowledge into decision making
Valuing ecosystem services
Land-sea interface




J. Mara Hendrix
Executive Assistant
International Ocean Institute - USA
c/o University of South Florida St. Petersburg
140 7th Ave. South, Bayboro 205 A
St. Petersburg, FL 33701 USA
p) 727-873-4745
f) 727-873-4889
mara at spadmin.usf.edu
mara at ioiusa.usf.edu
www.stpt.usf.edu/ioiusa

Conference Secretariat
Coastal Cities Summit 2008: Values and Vulnerabilities
November 17 - 20, 2008
www.coastalcities.org