NEW! Synthesis Report I You may need Acrobat Reader to read these pdf files.
Click on the icon below for a free copy of Acrobat Reader
Selected
photos of Workshop Participants Wengen
Workshops on
Global Change Research: Overview
Climate, Climatic Change, and Human Health
Hotel
Regina, Wengen, Switzerland, September 12 - 14, 2005
|
|
NEW! Synthesis Report I You may need Acrobat Reader to read these pdf files. Click on the icon below for a free copy of Acrobat Reader Selected
photos of Workshop Participants Wengen
Workshops on
Global Change Research: Overview
|
|
|
Wengen is located in the Bernese Alps, which is famous for its spectacular views and the fact that it is a resort free of car and truck traffic; access is only by rail. If you come by train from Geneva or Zurich Airports, you will need to travel to Bern and then on to Interlaken Ost, which is the start of the Bernese Oberland mountain railroad (Berner Oberland Bahn). If you come by car, you need to park at Lauterbrunnen and take the mountain railroad for the 14-minute journey to Wengen. Click here to find general information on Wengen and its surroundings.
This site provides you with a link to the Swiss Federal Railroad timetables, which will help you plan your travel to Wengen (if you wish to access the railroad timetable directly, click here)
The Workshop will take place at
the Hotel
Regina, located 2 - 3 minutes walk uphill from Wengen station.
It will be decided during the
meeting whether there is the desire to publish papers presented at
the meeting in a peer-reviewed journal or in a book edition of
the series Advances
in Global Change Research, published by Kluwer Academic
Publishers (Dordrecht/The Netherlands and Boston/USA)
An optional excursion is being planned following the close of the Workshop (on September 15, 2005) to the scientific station of the Jungfraujoch , located at 3,600 m above sea-level. More information on these
excursions will be provided during the Workshop. In addition, the Jungfraujoch High Alpine Research Station
provides information on the scientific aspects of the site. RETURN TO WENGEN-2005 HOME PAGE
WENGEN WORKSHOPS ON GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH A General OverviewSince 1995 we have held specialized Workshops on themes related to climate and global change research in the mountain resort of Wengen (Bernese Alps, Switzerland). In each case, a number of internationally-recognized experts have actively contibuted to the meetings. Along with young scientists and graduate students, the total number of participants has been between 45-75. So far, we have held the following Workshops: Since 1995 we have held specialized Workshops
on themes related to climate and global change research in the mountain
resort of Wengen (Bernese Alps, Switzerland). In each case, a number of
internationally-recognized experts have actively contibuted to the
meetings. Along with young scientists and graduate students, the total
number of participants has been about 50. So far, we have held the
following Workshops:
RETURN TO WENGEN-2005 HOME PAGE WENGEN-2005 10th Anniversary Meeting Climatic change and its impacts on
human health Hotel Regina, Wengen (Bernese Alps)
Switzerland
pdf
version that you can download 
Scroll down the page for information... Overarching issues Over coming
decades, humankind is likely to be subjected to
the impacts of rapid environmental change that is attributable at least
in part
to human activities. While the balance between humans and their
resource-base
has always been delicate, the accelerated changes resulting from
industrialization
and significant global population increase over the last century has
resulted
in visible impacts on the global environment and the resource base that
determine the basic conditions for human health, in particular food and
water
availability and quality. There are
numerous side-effects of environmental change that
can impact upon health and well-being, including hygrothermal stress
and
enhanced levels of air pollution, the modification of natural
ecosystems that
may have repercussions on agricultural production and hydrology. These
changes
may in turn affect the geographical distribution and celerity of
propagation of
vector-borne diseases, as well as the equilibrium between a number of
other
infectious and non-infectious diseases. In addition, if climatic change
were to
be accompanied by an increase in the intensity and frequency of heat
waves, cyclones,
floods, or drought, these would compound the effects on human health.
Moreover,
such catastrophes can generate large refugee and population movements,
with a
need for resettlement in what are often already densely populated
areas,
thereby exacerbating health-related problems in many parts of the
world’s
larger cities. The impacts
of
climatic change on human health are complex to ascertain, because
populations
have different vulnerabilities to climate and susceptibility to
disease.
However, there are likely to be two distinct types of impacts, those
related to
the physiological effects of heat and cold, and indirect effects such
as the
spread of vector-borne pathogens into areas where disease currently
does not
exist or was eradicated in the past, in and out-migration of allergenic
pollen,
and enhanced air pollution in large cities. Human health impacts in
coming decades will respond to numerous factors, in particular existing
infrastructure, financial resources, technology, access to adequate
health care
facilities and equity across different countries and regions; in this
context,
climatic change will be one among many exacerbating factors. It is thus necessary to place the
environment-related health hazards in a socio-economic context, such as
age,
hygiene practices, access to adequate medical facilities and
agricultural
traditions. Workshop Topics
and Call for Contributions Based on the above issues, an interdisciplinary Workshop
is
planned in
Deadline for submission of papers Papers should
be submitted using the on-line registration form,
where you can either type in your text or cut-and-paste your text from
a Word file in the space reserved for Abstracts.
Abstracts (maximum ½ - 1 A-4 page, or 250-500 words) should be submitted by May 20, 2005 Please note that if there are multiple
authors and more than one author wishes to attend
the meeting, the registration form needs to be filled out by each
participant (in order to
register the contact details), but only one
abstract needs to be submitted.
Publication of Workshop Results The output of the meeting should aim at providing a state-of-the-art document on the interdisciplinary issues at hand, which could for example be published in the book series «Advances in Global Change Research» by Kluwer Academic Publishers (Dordrecht/The Netherlands and Boston/USA), or in a peer-reviewed international journal. In addition, a policy-makers type paper could be prepared
for distribution via international bodies such as IHDP, EFIEA, and
IGBP, to governments and intergovernmental agencies such as the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) and of course the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Optional Excursion An optional excursion will be held on Thursday, Septrmber 15, 2005, to the Jungfraujoch High Alpine Research Station, (NOTE: this URL is different from the one under the "General Information" Section) Europe’s highest scientific observatory at close to 3,600 m above sea-level (11,800 ft). It is located in the spectacular world of the high Alpine glaciers of the Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau Massif, with views as far as the Black Forest and the Vosges Mountains to the North, and the Valais Alps to the South. The Jungfraujoch is the source of the Aletsch Glacier, which is the longest valley glacier in the Alps. The High Alpine Research Station is funded by a consortium of countries; Switzerland contributes annually to 50% of its budget. Numerous scientific experiments take place here, from astrophysics and climate research to health and technology-oriented studies. Participants to the excursion will be able to visit some of the experiments taking place at the Jungfraujoch. Weather-permitting, there will also be the possibility of walking on the upper reaches of the Aletsch glacier. Weather-proof clothing and good shoes are essential; persons who are sensitive to low oxygen levels associated with high elevations should seek medical advice prior to the excursion. We look forward to hearing from you in due course and to meeting you at what will undoubtedly prove to be an exciting meeting. More information can be obtained on the scientific aspects of the Wengen-2004 Workshop from...
RETURN TO WENGEN-2005 HOME PAGE RETURN TO WENGEN-2005 HOME PAGE
Administrative Information / Accommodation Registration fees Registration fees are 100 EUROS (approximately USD 100 or CHF 150 at current exchange rates). These fees are payable in cash upon arrival in Wengen (unfortunately, as a small organization, we have no facilities for credit cards). There are NO registration fees for students, nor for participants from Central and Eastern Europe, and those from Developing Countries. Accommodation The Hotel Regina, where the meeting will take place, has set aside a block of rooms at the following special rate for Workshop participants: CHF 156 per person single (approx. €100 or US$ 100 at current exchange rates
betweeen the Swiss Franc and the Euro and US Dollar) This rate includes, in additional to the room, a full buffet breakfast, a 5-course evening meal, and all taxes. Please use the following link for online hotel reservation: Please insert in the space reserved for
"Remarks"
on this reservation form "WENGEN-2004 WORKSHOP". You will
not
be required to pay any fees in advance, and you will be granted the
special
rate for scientists. RETURN TO WENGEN-2005 HOME PAGE
Scientific Steering Committee (subject to change: check for updated lists)
RETURN TO WENGEN-2005 HOME PAGE
|
