Vision

The issue of climate change is now at the  forefront of global and long-term challenges of the 21st century and a top priority on the international agenda. The "Global Risks 2011" Report of the Word Economic Forum in Davos has identified climate change as one of the major risks for the word development, given a  probability of its materialization being high and possible adverse consequences for the world development, given a probability of its materialization being high and possible adverse consequences for the world economy and public estimated at trillions of dollars. Scientifically, this issue is a complex interdisciplinary problem encompassing all critical aspects of sustainable development: its environmental, economic and societal  dimensions.

Lately, along with mitigation of anthropogenic impacts on the climate system by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, the world community places increasing emphasis on the economy and public adaptation to adverse effects of climate change, including analysis and prediction of emerging challenges and threats. Early anticipatory adaptation measures would serve to reduce risks and potential losses associated with weather and climate impacts, especially with climate change, and would also enable possible benefits. With concerted international actions being designed with respect to climate change adaptation, consideration should be given to resilience of economies to climate change, as well as the entire spectrum of potential losses and benefits associated with the actions offered. More studies are required to assess climate change impacts at the global, national and subnational levels; various adaptation options need to be developed, including infrastructure and technology innovations; business community is to be engaged in adaptation activities and problems of indigenous peoples living in regions vulnerable to climate change should to taken into account.

New approaches are being sought by scientists in many countries to address the climate stabilization issue using the so-called geoengineering technologies, including stratospheric aerosols. Together with measures to reduce anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, technologies capable of regulating solar radiation flux and enhancing absorption of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere could be helpful in abating the growth of global temperature and its stabilization. Such new technologies would enable the capacity to be enhanced of the world community to protect the global climate system, as well as the extent of adverse consequences of climate change and scope of adaptation actions to be reduced. At the same time new technologies must be developed with maximum caution.

Considering the need for scientific discussion of adaptation issues, international exchange of adaptation experiences and plans, and identifying priorities for adaptation research, the Russian Federation will hold a major international conference on the problems of adaptation to climate change (PACC-2011), the idea of which was supported be the G8 Summit in Muskoka (Canada, 25-26 June 2010).

PACC-2011 will provide a forum for in-depth discussion and scientific justification to actions towards adaptation to the current and projected climate change and aims at the exchange of experiences and plans concerning adaptation. All this is expected to make a contribution to establishing the Global Framework for Climate Services, initiated by the World Climate Conference-3 (2009), and to be an advancement in pooling together the world community efforts in adaptation to climate change, including anticipatory adaptation.
The topics of PACC-2011 will include: assessment of climate change impacts on sustainable development, vulnerability, risks, losses and benefits, capacity for adaptation to the current and anticipated climate change, large-scale weather anomalies and their consequences, including development of observation systems and early warning systems, and identifying new approaches to enable preservation of stable climate. 

Expected outcomes of PACC-2011

Appraising the current state of studies of environmental and economic impacts of climate changes and adaptation to them, which, among other things, is expected to make a contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Articulating problems, priorities and prospects for adaptation studies, in particular, as a contribution to clarifying priorities for national and international programs coordinating climate-related research.

Identifying the paths for the world community consolidation, multidimensional integration and interactions between science and business communities, social groups (including indigenous peoples) and governmental entities, both nationally and internationally, in order to address the issues of adaptation to climate change and, in particular, as a contribution to establishing the Global Framework for Climate Services.

The PACC-2011 timetable

7 November
Plenary meeting - key note presentations

8 November
Section focusing on the conference topics - oral and poster presentation round tables
Section 1: Adaptation policies and measures
Section 2: Adaptation economics
Section 3: Research of opportunities for climate stabilization using new technologies
Round table 1: State and business interaction in addressing adaptation issues
Round table 2: Risks for indigenous people in regions vulnerable to climate change: adaptation perspective

9 November
Plenary meeting - reports of section chairs and round table moderators,
overview of posters, discussion and adoption of summary documents.
The working languages of the conference are Russian and English.
Simultaneous interpretation will be available during the sessions and round tables.

Conference Organizers

The PACC-2011 is organized by the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet)  on the instruction of the Government of the Russian Federation. It will engage federal authorities and government bodies of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, Russian Academy of Sciences, science, industry and business communities and public organizations and will be supported by WMO, UNESCO, IOC of UNESCO, UNEP, UNFCCC, FAO, and other international organizations and the World Bank. The Organizing Committee  will include representatives  of international organizations, decision-makers, business and science communities, wide public and G8 stakeholders.
The Chair of the Conference is Dr.Alexander Frolov, the Head of Roshydromet.
Chairs of the sections and moderators of the round tables will be appointed by the Organizing Committee.
On behalf of the Russian Federation Prof. Yury Izrael is recommended as a co-Chair of the section 3.

Financial support is envisaged for delegates from developing countries.