EcoRes Forum Launches Climate Change E-Conference Series
I wish to draw your attention to a series of e-conferences on climate change.
18 January 2007 - The EcoRes Forum, a new initiative undertaken by Mary Leyser, Coordinator of the Eco-Ethics International Union (EEIU), and Acad. Prof. Gennady Polikarpov, EEIU Vice-President and Chief Scientist at the
Institute of Biology of Southern Seas in Sevastopol, Ukraine, announces the launch of a series of online e-conferences focusing on the ethical, political and sociocultural aspects of climate change.
The series, which will be offered free of charge, starts off in April 2007 with a two-week dialogue on a topic of increasing urgency: expanding and accelerating an ecocentric philosophy among societies around the world. The need for such a shift has long been recognized. Based on the UN’s Rio Declaration of Environment and Development, in 1992 Al Gore observed, “Our challenge is to accelerate the needed change in thinking about our relationship to the environment in order to shift the pattern of our civilization to a new equilibrium - before the world’s ecological system loses its current one.” (Earth in the Balance)
Titled “From Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: Making the Shift”, the e-conference will bring together academics and activists, scientists and social critics, researchers and journalists, community leaders and citizens, all focused on looking for answers and actions to make this paradigm shift a reality. After reflecting on past movement successes to identify transferable practices, the semi-structured discussion will evaluate the current status - looking at what is working (and what isn’t) around the globe. Armed with this knowledge, participants will shift focus to the
future, considering multi-prong approaches for moving forward on this trans-disciplinary issue.
As EcoRes materials outline, the forum’s mission is ambitious, yet,organizers are convinced, fully achievable:
In keeping with our foundational philosophy of ecocentric environmental ethics and commitment to the principles of social equity and environmental justice;
- by leveraging the potential of new media by providing an easily accessible global platform for discussion and access to subject experts;
- by involving global stakeholders in global issue discussions by circumventing the logistical and financial barriers of traditional dialogue interactions;
- by building ongoing connections and networks between these actors;
- by crossing borders, whether disciplinary, philosophical, or geopolitical; and
- by maintaining a results-oriented focus;
the goals of the EcoRes Forum are:
- to level the field of discourse by moving it to a space whose boundaries are set only by our own creativity;
- to promote awareness, public dialogue and the free exchange and exploration of ideas, knowledge and issues related to climate change;
- to leave all participants with something of value, whether knowledge, best practices, or a new perspective, which can be put to use immediately to improve efforts in their individual fields; and
- by so doing, to contribute to taking the environmental movement to the next level and thereby, in some small way, to assist in preventing further extreme human-induced climate change.
For more information or to register for the April event, visit the EcoRes Forum website at http://www.eco-res.org or write forum@eco-res.org.