Theme 5: Citizens & Society
Theme 5 Citizens and Society
This theme will focus on social and cultural dimensions. Aside from the emissions associated with deforestation, the largest contribution to man-made GHG emissions comes from power generation and transportation. Power consumption in buildings is second only to power consumption in industry. What can be done to transform the way consumers, businesses, and public institutions use energy (e.g. their use of technology and of cooling and heating)? Mitigation of emissions and adaptation to climate change will require actions by and interactions between nations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, industry in general, individual companies, and ultimately every single consumer/citizen. What drives changes in the social practices and individual actions causing global warming? Promoting a more sustainable development in terms of reducing GHG emissions is a central concern, as are policy actions, technological development, and socio-cultural changes that can mutually support each other.
5 MARCH 13:30-15:30
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)
CSR is based on principles of corporate responsibility and accountability. CSR may have a significant impact on GHG emissions in different sectors of the economy. Such issues relate to in-house environmental management and energy efficiency as well as to mitigation of and/or adaptation to climate changes. Key elements are commitments to common values, strategic goals, and processes articulating the responsibility for common goods. The focus of this session will be on the complex interplay between corporate activities, environmental changes, and stakeholders proactive engagement. It will include discussions on tools such as Performance Management Systems (for example, energy management based on an energy audit). Many businesses have an impact on ecosystems, and on their biodiversity and capacity as sinks, through land and resource use, waste discharge, etc. The code of conduct can therefore involve standards for protection of biodiversity and sensitive environments. The discussions in this session will also be based on different business sectors at different levels (across countries, industries, and firms) and a respect for the national diversity of CSR throughout the world. The relationship between international performance measurement and verification systems (such as the IPMVP) can be part of this session. The use of sustainable certification and accreditation systems, such as the UN Global Compact, will also be discussed.
Chair: 13.30-13.35: Christina Busk, Etikos, Denmark
Introduction and welcome
Rapporteur: Kristoffer Kej, RelationsPeople, Denmark
Speakers:
13.35-13.55: Mads Øvlisen
Member of the UN Global Compact, New York, USA
Corporate social responsibility in an age of climate change
13.55-14.15: Poul Anker Lübker
Director, Lübker Golf Resort, Denmark
From Corporate Social Responsibility to Corporate Social Innovation
14.15-14.30: Questions and debate
14.30-14.40: Short break
14.40-14.50: Anne Ellerup Nielsen and Christa Thomsen
Associate Professors, Aarhus University, Denmark
A framework for using networking as a response to public sector CSR engagement
14.50-15.00: Irene Pollach and Sandy Chong
Associate professor, Aarhus School of Business, Aarhus University, Denmark and Assistant Professor, Curtin University of Technology, Australia
Product carbon footprints as tools for climate policy innovations
15.00-15.10: Henning Madsen and John P. Ulhøi
Professors, Aarhus University, Denmark
Industrys responses toward reducing its environmental and climate impact: drivers and actions
15.10-15.30: Discussions and closing
5 MARCH 16:00-18:00
LOW-ENERGY BUILDINGS AND USER BEHAVIOUR
Most energy is consumed when a building is in use, that is, when energy is being used for heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation, as well as for equipment used for cooking, communication and entertainment. Better building design, management, and automation could reduce GHG emissions. The interactions between social practices, behaviour and physical structures in the development towards low energy consumption and application of renewable energy technologies in buildings is being addressed in this session. Opportunities for emissions savings in buildings using Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as described in SMART2020: Enabling the Low Carbon Economy in the Information Age, will be part of the discussion. The session will focus on the right incentives for developers, builders, consumers, and building owners. For example, what is the right mix of appropriate government regulation, new designs and smart technology, and behavioural change to ensure a substantial reduction of GHG emissions from the construction and housing sector? Standardisation of and accountability for energy consumption in buildings are also among the issues to be discussed.
Chair: 16.00-16.05: Assistant Porfessor Hanne Lehrskov, Engineering College of Aarhus, Denmark
Introduction and welcome
Rapporteur: Kristoffer Kej, RelationsPeople, Denmark
Speakers:
16.05-16.45: Nigel Howard
Managing Director, Edge Environment, Australia
Driving Change in the Building Sector
16.45-17.00: Svenja Jaffari and Ben Matthews
Ph.D.-student/Associated Professor, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Low Energy Buildings and user behavior
17.00-17.15: Hanne Tine Ring Hansen
Ph.D. in methodical approaches to sustainable building design, Rambøll Denmark
Sensitive Analyses as a Methodical Approach
17.15-17.30: Maj-Britt Quitzau
Assistant Professor, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Low-energy buildings on mainstream market terms
17.30-17.45: Poul Eriksen
Technology Manager, Develco A/S, Denmark
Informed Energy Efficiency
6 MARCH 8:00-10:00
HUMAN HEALTH AND DISEASE
The 61st World Health Assembly adopted a resolution in May 2008 urging WHO member states such as Denmark to take decisive action to address health impacts of climate change. These impacts are multifarious and complex and not all can be covered in this session, which will focus on infectious disease, food poisoning, and malnutrition. We shall, moreover, discuss obesity, type II diabetes and coronary artery disease. Although these latter diseases do not result from climate change, they do share causes with climate change. As an example modern agriculture's enormous production of livestock contributes substantially to GHG emissions, and it is the source of many of our most energy-rich foods. The session will deal with approaches to understanding and dealing with the relationships of public health to government policy, e.g. agricultural policy, and with research into relationships of public health to derminants of climate change and research into ways to protect human populations from consequences of climate change.
Chair: 08.00-08.05: Professor Ole Færgeman, Aarhus University, Denmark
Introduction and welcome
Rapporteur: Kristoffer Kej, RelationsPeople, Denmark
Speakers:
08.05-08.30: Colin Butler
Associate Professor, The Australian National University Canberra, Australia
Meat, het and health: contraction and convergence of global livestock consumption
08.30-Henning Steinfeld
Head of Livestock Sector Analysis and Policy Branch, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy
The role of livestock in climate change
08.55-09.15: Coffee break and poster presentation
09.15-09.40: Peter Gæmelke
President, Agricultural Council of Denmark, Denmark
Agriculture - Responsibility and Solutions in relation to Climate Change
09.40-10.00: Discussion - Panel and audience
6 MARCH 10:30-12:30
COMMUNICATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE
In this session the focus will be on how climate change and climate research interacts with society and culture through communication at many levels, not just in print and broadcast media, but also in marketing, publicity campaigns, the arts, etc. Communicating climate change and climate research affects public opinion, political priorities, commercial applications, and even social practices. One issue to be discussed is how climate-related issues the production and reception of knowledge and the representation of risks - are communicated to the public: how constructions of normality, i.e., social practices that have implications for GHG emissions and/or for adaptation, are established in all kinds of communication products (including television dramas, commercials, documentaries, etc.). Another issue is the mechanics of communicating climate change: conducting public campaigns, sustaining long-term media interest, involving media at all levels (not just national broadcast, but also niche, local and specialist media), and integrating images of more sustainable practices in public narrations.
Chair: 10.30-10.35: Senior Researcher Lars Kjerulf Petersen, Aarhus University, Denmark
Introduction and welcome
Rapporteur: Kristoffer Kej, RelationsPeople, Denmark
Speakers:
10.35-10.50: Jeremy Wates
Secretary of the Aarhus Convention, UNECE, Switzerland
The Aarhus Convention as a tool for enhancing the role of the public in tackling climate change
10.50-11.05: Harald Heinrichs
Junior Professor, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
Yes we can! Corporate carbon management and communication in times of economic turmoil
11.05-11.25: Discussion
11.25-11.40: Myanna Lahsen
Social Science Officer, IGBP Regional Support Office in Brazil, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Brazil
Media Coverage of Climate Change in the US and Brazil: Understanding Convergences and Divergences in Light of Socio-Political Contexts and Identifying Policy Implications
11.40-11.55: Kristian Hvidtfelt Nielsen & Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard
Post.doc, Aarhus University, Denmark and Post-doctoral fellow, University of Cambridge, England
Entangled climate discourses: News coverage of climate change in Nature News and Science Now
11.55-12.10: Gesa Lüdecke
Doctoral Candidate, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
The Importance of audio-visual media for the societal participation, exemplified on Sustainable Development. Changes and barriers of individual civic involvement through media exemplified on Climate Change in Germany
12.10-12.30: Discussion
12.30-13.30: Lunch
13.30-13.35: Cerys Ponting
Research Associate, ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society, Cardiff University, Wales, UK.
Different strokes for different folks: A segmentation approach for behaviour change
13.35-13.50: Nadina Pratt and Sarah Lubjuhn
Senior Consultant, UNEP-Wuppertal Institute collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumbtion and Production, and Institute of Communication Studie, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Media communication strategies for climate friendly life style Addressing middle and low-class consumers for socio-cultural change
13.50-14.00: Jeppe Læssøe, Aarhus University
Introduction to session 5
6 MARCH 14:00-16:00
PARTICIPATION, LEARNING, AND SOCIO-CULTURAL CHANGE
To raise awareness and increase understanding of the importance of the causes and impacts of climate change, Article 6 of the UNFCCC states that parties to the Conventions are encouraged to undertake activities for education, training, capacity building, public awareness, public participation, etc. The New Delhi work programme for these obligations, as amended at COP13, will be discussed in this session. The discussion will cover socio-technical systems, competence development, learning, and social and cultural change processes. Ideas of learning and competence development among different stakeholders need to be addressed more explicitly in relation to global ambitions for the mitigation of GHG emissions and adaptation to climate change. Formal and informal education in addressing climate-change challenges will be part of this session. Tools for facilitating learning and socio-cultural changes will be discussed; adequate professional mediator competencies are also relevant. Lessons learned from related areas such as Education for Sustainable Development will be integrated to illuminate and inform the discussion.
Chair: 14.00 14.05: Professor Jeppe Læssøe, Aarhus University, Denmark
Introduction and Welcome
Rapporteur: Kristoffer Kej, RelationsPeople, Denmark
Speakers:
14.05 14.40: Heila Lotz-Sisitka
Professor, Environmental Education and Sustainability Unit, Rhodes University, South Africa
Facilitating Learning related to climate challenges - what can we learn from the area of ESD?
14.40 15.10: Corina Höppner
Environmental Change Institute (ECI), Oxford University Centre for the Environment, UK
Back in the rusty cage? the publics role in tackling climate change in the UK
15.10 15.20: Ir. C.T.H.M. Terwisscha van Scheltinga
Researcher/lecturer, Earth System Science Climate Change group, Alterra, Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands
Learning to adapt, adapting to learn - Developing a methodology for a participatory stakeholder process in climate change adaptation
15.20 15.30: Dr. T. Dhanapal
Senior Scientific Officer, Ph.D., Tamilnadu State Council for Science and Technology, DOTE campus, Chennai, India
Climate Change and Developing Countries: A structuralistic perspective
15.30 15.40: Thomas Fabian Delman
PhD Student, Aarhus School of Architecture, Department of Landscape & Urbanism, Denmark
Climate Capacitors Building Capacity for Socio-cultural change