Young people and decision makers together against climate change!
Jokkmokk Winter Conference 2012
Annual winter conference on the problems of climate change gathered more than 200 students, researchers, industry representatives, politicians and decision makers from different nations from North America, Northern Europe and Russia in Swedish Jokkmokk in the beginning of February. The aim of the conference was to offer young people an opportunity of working with the future, meeting friends and developing new strategies and initiatives for the North. Their recommendations and demands will be handed over and discussed with governmental representatives from Sweden, Norway, Finnland, Canada and the US.Current scientific scenarios predict that we have to face enormous transformations due to Climate Change in the entire arctic and subarctic region. Average temperatures could rise up to 5 degrees Celsius plus compared to pre-industrial levels. Climate change and its effects in the (Sub-) Arctic are threatening the future in the North. Important business branches as fishing, forestry, energy production, tourism and reindeer herding are amongst those that will be affected first and most. There is an urgent need to adequately adapt to changes, thus to avoid risks, but also to benefit from new business opportunities and thereby creating sustainable development. Jokkmokk Winter Conference 2012 focused therefore on the following issues:
• Climate Resilience and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
• Land use and climate change
• Efficient and renewable: The future of energy technologies
• Adaptation and Change management
Jokkmokk Winter Conference is part of the weeklong Jokkmokk Winter Market a major international event of culture, entertainment and handicraft that attracts some 40.000 visitors during a few intensive days. The Winter Market is a Sami tradition since 1605.
The municipality of Jokkmokk is situated at the polar circle. Jokkmokk is a centre for the only indigenous peoples in Europe, the Sami, and their traditional reindeer herding. The area here has for that reason been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Laponia). Tourism is therefore here an important part of the regional economy and sustainability is a naturally part of tourism concepts. At the same time, Jokkmokk is a centre of climate-friendly energy production: almost 70% of households are connected to the biomass district heating and roughly 15% of Sweden’s hydropower (ca 7% of total electricity) is produced here.
Some comments from the conference participants:
“This winter conference gave me a strong impulse for further development. It was of very much interest to listen to lectures on state of ecological affairs of different countries. I obtained a lot of new experience while working in groups, finding solutions for different problems and communicating with people who are familiar with contemporary ecological issues. As for the place where the conference was held, I liked Jokkmokk very much with its calm leisurely atmosphere - ideal place to escape from hustle and bustle of the city life for some days ”
“In my opinion, Winter Conference this year was interesting. First of all, because my specialized field is environmental engineering and I study to become ecologist. I want to help to save the quality of environment. Speakers from different countries have given us useful information about climate change, the future of energy technologies and ecological situation.”
“I really enjoyed the conference. I learned a lot and met a lot of special and interesting people, it was good to hear how people in other countries work against climate change and to share our experiences and ideas with them.”
Jokkmokk Winter Conference on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jokkmokk-Winterconference/162751160830
http://www.winterconference.se/
• Climate Resilience and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
• Land use and climate change
• Efficient and renewable: The future of energy technologies
• Adaptation and Change management
Jokkmokk Winter Conference is part of the weeklong Jokkmokk Winter Market a major international event of culture, entertainment and handicraft that attracts some 40.000 visitors during a few intensive days. The Winter Market is a Sami tradition since 1605.
The municipality of Jokkmokk is situated at the polar circle. Jokkmokk is a centre for the only indigenous peoples in Europe, the Sami, and their traditional reindeer herding. The area here has for that reason been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Laponia). Tourism is therefore here an important part of the regional economy and sustainability is a naturally part of tourism concepts. At the same time, Jokkmokk is a centre of climate-friendly energy production: almost 70% of households are connected to the biomass district heating and roughly 15% of Sweden’s hydropower (ca 7% of total electricity) is produced here.
Some comments from the conference participants:
“This winter conference gave me a strong impulse for further development. It was of very much interest to listen to lectures on state of ecological affairs of different countries. I obtained a lot of new experience while working in groups, finding solutions for different problems and communicating with people who are familiar with contemporary ecological issues. As for the place where the conference was held, I liked Jokkmokk very much with its calm leisurely atmosphere - ideal place to escape from hustle and bustle of the city life for some days ”
“In my opinion, Winter Conference this year was interesting. First of all, because my specialized field is environmental engineering and I study to become ecologist. I want to help to save the quality of environment. Speakers from different countries have given us useful information about climate change, the future of energy technologies and ecological situation.”
“I really enjoyed the conference. I learned a lot and met a lot of special and interesting people, it was good to hear how people in other countries work against climate change and to share our experiences and ideas with them.”
Jokkmokk Winter Conference on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jokkmokk-Winterconference/162751160830
http://www.winterconference.se/
