Top climate researchers meet in Copenhagen

9 March 2009

Tomorrow, one of the world’s largest ever interdisciplinary conferences on climate change commences when more than 2,000 participants from around 80 countries meet in Copenhagen. The Congress is the result of a unique cooperation between ten of the world’s leading universities; the International Alliance of Re-search universities (IARU),, which consists of Austra-lian National University, ETH - Zürich, National University of Singapore, Peking University, University of California - Berkeley, University of Cambridge, University of Copenhagen, University of Oxford, University of Tokyo and Yale University.

The University of Copenhagen hosts the Congress titled: 'Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions'. The congress will discuss and gather the latest knowledge on climate within a broad field of research e.g. nature sciences, economy and health.

The purpose of the Congress is to add the latest research to basis of knowledge on climate change compiled in the IPCC reports.. The outcome of the congress will be summed up in a report to be given to political negotiators as preparation for COP15 in December in Copenhagen where a new global climate agreement is to be negotiated.

- It is crucial that the politicians will make their decisions based on the best possible foundation. The Congress will give them this foundation. The researchers will hand over the most updated climate knowledge to the politicians, which is also why it is important that researchers from several devel-oping countries have chosen to contribute with their latest research, says University of Copenhagen Rector Ralf Hemmingsen.

Names

The Climate Congress is opened on 10 March by Danish Minister of Cli-mate and Energy Connie Hedegaard, and John Ashton, climate advisor to the British Government. HRH the Danish Crown Prince will attend the first day of the conference.

The Congress welcomes several leading climate researchers, among others, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the IPCC, and Lord Nicholas Stern, author of the Stern-report, which in 2006 placed the climate issue high on the in-ternational political agenda.