United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
 
INTERNATIONAL FORUM
Geneva, 23-27 January 2006
CLIMATE CHANGES
Session 1 : Monday 23 January 2006
   
   
   
   
09h00 - 09h30 Welcome of the participants
   
09h30 - 10h00 OPENING SESSION
   
  Claude Haegi, President of FEDRE
  Giovanni di Stasi, President of the Congress of the Council of Europe
  Olivier Bertrand, President of the Committee of the Regions Commission for Sustainable Development, European Union
   
10h00 - 12h30 EVOLUTION OF THE CLIMATE AND IMPACT
   
Chairman of the session: Michel Jarraud, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
  Carine Richard-Van Naele, R.P. WMO, Communication and Public Relations
  Framing of the subject
   
  EVOLUTION OF THE CLIMATE AND IMPACT
 
  • Natural climate variability from the past to the present
    Dr. Juerg Luterbacher, Université de Berne
  • Recent climate trends and the role of human activities
    Dr. Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, Danish Climate Centre, Copenhagen (Danemark)
  • Future trends to the end of the XXI century
    Dr. Hervé Le Treut, Laboratoire de Météorologie dynamique, Université de Paris VI
  • Impacts of climate change on biodiversity
    Dr. Antoine Guisan, Université de Lausanne (Suisse)
  • Extreme events in a changing climate and impacts on water, agriculture and health
    Dr. Martin Beniston, Head, Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)

  • Intervention of Mr. Cherif Rahmani, Minister for the Environment and territorial planning, Algeria; United Nations Secretary-General representative, Honorary Ambassador for 2006, international year of Deserts and Desertification, with S.E. Mr. Kamel Houhou
  • Round-table with the speakers chaired by Prof. Suren Erkman, Director, Institute for Communication and Analysis of Science and Technology (ICAST)

 

   
   
14h00 - 16h30 MEASURES TAKEN, MEASURES TO BE TAKEN, NEGOCIATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES
   
 
  • Which possible actions upon climate changes?
    Jian Liu, Deputy Secretary of the intergovernmental Group of experts on the evolution of the climate (Giec- IPCC)
 
  • Climate change and Health
    Carlos Corvalan, Human Environmental Protection Department, World Health Organization
 
  • Kyoto Protocol : the situation after Montreal - between hope and concern
    Dennis Tirpak, division Climate change, Direction of the Environment, OECD, Paris
    Keith Whitmore, President of the Commission of the Sustainable development of the Congress of the Council of Europe
    Renato De Filippo, Fondazione Enrico Mattei
    José Romero, the Swiss federal Office for the environmental protection
    (in the presence of Dr. Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of UNEP)
 
  • Round-table: "Economic, financial and social consequences according to different scenarios" chaired by Prof. Suren Erkman, Director, Institute for Communication and Analysis of Science and Technology (ICAST)
   
16h30 - 17h00 Break
   
   
17h00 - 18h30 OFFICIAL GATHERING TO LAUNCH " PLANÈTE CLIMAT "
   
  International program of FEDRE in partnership with the City of Sciences and the Industry of Paris
   
 
  • Presentation of the program intended for the cities and regions
    Claude Haegi, President FEDRE
    Jean-François Hébert, President, Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie de Paris

  • Projection of the preliminary sketch of "Planète Climat" with the assistance of Martin Beniston, climatologist

  • Declaration of several personalities
 

Moritz Leuenberger, President of the Swiss Confederation, head of the federal Department of the environment, transport, energy and the communication
Danuta Hubner, European Police chief with the regional policy
Robert Cramer, Councellor of State, representative of the Government of Geneva
Dr. Cherif Rahmani, Algerian Ministre for the Environment and Regional planning, special Ambassador of the Secretary General of the United Nations for the international year of the deserts (2006)
David Anderson, former Minister of Environnement, Canada (Video from Victoria), represented by Ambassador Robert Collette
Zhu Bangzao, Ambassador of China in Switzerland

   
18h30 OFFICIAL RECEPTION AND OPENING OF THE EXHIBITON OF MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHS "NORDSUDESTOUEST"
  Reception hosted by the President of the Swiss Confederation and the Republic and Canton of Geneva
   
  A 360° view of climate change
  Ten photographers have crossed the planet to testify the climate change in picture.
  The exhibition will be on from 23 to 27 January, 2006.