UI to hold conference on climate change

State University of Indonesia in cooperation with the Association of Pacific Rim University-World Institute (APRU-AWI) plans to hold an international conference on climate change, its spokesman, Vishnu Juwono, said

ANTARA News | March 18, 2010

He said the conference is scheduled to be opened by Vice President Boediono on Thursday at the vice presidential palace.

He said 25 foreign researchers from APRU-AWI and researchers from UI would discuss and formulate a research cooperation agenda in the fields linked to climate change and its mitigation strategy and adaptation.

Among environmental experts to become source persons in the two-day conference are Emil Salim, Indonesia`s former minister of environmental affairs, Rachmat Witoelar, also former environment minister, Jim Falk from Melbourne University, Lee Godden from Melbourne University, Tony Jakeman from the Australia National University and Liong Shie-Yui from the National University of Singapore.

Vishnu said UI`s designation as host of the conference demonstrated the university`s readiness to play an active role in the national as well as global efforts to reduce gas emissions which is the main trigger of rising temperature in the atmosphere.

Representatives from donor institutions have also been invited to expose their various initiatives and funding schemes available now for use in the climate change mitigation and adaptation programs.

UI rector Prof Gumilar R Somantri said as an educational institution with its quality human resources UI could become an initiator of changes in social order, cultural, economic and political areas to prevent a further rise in atmosphere temperature and adjust the people`s system of livelihood under the climate change scheme.

In the meeting researchers from Indonesia and APRU could conduct a dialogue with regard to finding the best way to prevent the bad impact of climate change through research and education programs that could later be used as a reference by the government in carrying out its clean energy development programs.

Jim Falk, the director of research of APRU-AWI, said he hoped researchers from 12 noted research universities from China, Australia, the North America, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand could cooperate with Indonesia to find the right solution to deal with the climate change.

"This is a form of cooperation which will be continued to be developed with a focus on important issues the climate change affects such as water supply and city development," he said.(*)

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