International Week on Climate Change at FUNGLODE

The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), and the Dominican Chapter of the International Center for Environmental and Sustainable Development Studies (CIEMADeS), will be hosting various events concerning climate change, May 21-24, 2007, at FUNGLODE’s headquarters in Santo Domingo.

This week-long series of events will begin Monday, May 21, with a screening of the
films “Too Hot Not To Handle” and “The Great Warming.” The screening of these films will be made possible thanks to support from the Dominican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Climate Institute in Washington, D.C.

This International Conference on Climate Change: “Understanding the Science and Impacts of Global Warming” will take place May 22-23. On May 22 the conference will commence at 7:00
pm with an inaugural address, and a screening of the film: “Micromacro Panarama: Climate Change,” which highlights successful initiatives implemented in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile concerning the control gas emissions. Following the film screening, John Topping, President of the Climate Institute, will present his keynote address “Climate Change: The New Challenge.”

The second day of the conference, May 23, will feature presentations
by scientists involved in the production of the UN International Panel on Climate Change’s 2007 4th Assessment Report, in addition to presentations by Dominican and international experts on themes such as: the regional impact of climate change on sea level rise, extreme weather phenomena, human health and epidemics, agriculture and food security, and mitigation and adaptation.

International specialists participating in this conference include: Johanna
Mendelson-Forman of the International Center for International and Strategic Studies, Washington, D.C.; Emilio Sempris, Director of Centro de Agua del Trópico Húmedo para América Latina y el Caribe, Panama; Ana Rosa Moreno, Lead Author for the UN International Panel on Climate Change, Mexico; Graciela Magrin of the Instituto de Clima y Agua, Argentina; and Luís Roberto Acosta of the Climate Institute’s International Environmental
Monitoring System, Washington, D.C.

Presenters will provide conference attendants with comprehensive information detailing the impacts of climate change on Caribbean nations.

The objectives of the conference are: to increase awareness of the affects of climate change, particularly as they relate to the Caribbean region; to offer mitigation and adaptation strategies; and to provide a forum from which networks of investigation can be formed.

The conference is open to the public. Individuals interested in attending must register either online by sending an e-mail to one of the following addresses:

j.almonte@funglode.org
c.munoz@funglode.org

or by registering in person at FUNGLODE the day of the conference.

On Thursday, May 24, at 6:00 pm GFDD,
FUNGLODE, and the Dominican Chapter of CIEMADeS will present “From Science to Action.” This program will be led by Paola Tineo Narváez, President of Grupo Ecologico de la Universidad Iberoamericana, and will unite representatives from GFDD, FUNGLODE, the Ecological Group of UNIB, and the Grupo Ecologico Tinglar, in order to discuss ideas concerning the development of youth educational initiatives centered on climate change. Following the program will be a
question and answer session.

For more information, please visit our website at:
www.globalfoundationdd.org/seminars/climatechanges2007/