Aarhus University (AU) is taking part in a number of events during the COP15 conference in Copenhagen this December.
A delegation from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) includes representatives from AU, who will follow negotiations directly at the Bella Center. Other AU researchers and students will contribute actively to the event in different ways.

See Aarhus University’s list of experts

Education, communication and climate (11 December)
The Danish School of Education (DPU), Aarhus University, is holding a conference in Copenhagen called Can Education Change the Climate? The purpose of this conference is to emphasise the importance of education and better communication as prerequisites for getting the world’s populations actively involved in climate efforts, as well as politicians elected by the people.

Top international names at the conference include Mike Hulme from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia.He wrote the book Why We Disagree About Climate Change and, as a natural scientist himself, he has changed his focus from this area to work involving education and communication aspects as basic prerequisites for being able to deal with climate adaptation at all.

Sharing the same view of this issue is Bill McKibben, Co-founder and Director of www.350.org and Co-founder of the International Day of Climate Action. Journalist Andrew Revkin from The New York Times puts forward his suggestion about the communication side of the matter. Attending the conference from the UK is Professor Chris Husbands from the Institute of Education, University of London.
Aarhus University’s management is represented by Pro-Vice-Chancellor Søren Frandsen, while Professor Jeppe Læssøe and Professor Lars Quortrup are attending from DPU.

The private sector perspective (12–13 December)
Aarhus University has a stand at the Bright Green Expo at Forum, Copenhagen, where you can “enter” a campus area surrounded by the University Park and the characteristic yellow-brick buildings. Here you are presented with the university’s climate and energy competences via short video interviews with different researchers. Bright Green is organised by the Confederation of Danish Industry and involves approximately 170 companies, organisations, educational institutions, etc., each of which is exhibiting its own climate competences at Forum.

Read more about Bright Green

Arctic research (12–18 December)
Arctic Venue at the North Atlantic Quay (Nordatlantens Brygge) in Copenhagen is organised by the Danish Energy Agency.The focus here is on Arctic research in relation to the topics debated at COP15. This is one of the areas of research forming the basis for the political decisions at COP15, and this knowledge is also very important for a basic understanding of the global climate.

A number of Aarhus University’s Arctic researchers are contributing with lectures. These include Associate Professor Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz, Department of Earth Sciences, Associate Professor Eva Cecilie Bonefeld-Jørgensen, Director of the Centre for Arctic Environmental Medicine, Department of Public Health, and PhD student Casper Andersen, Section for the History of Ideas. Students and the Climate Secretariat are staffing Aarhus University’s stand, where you can get information, see different research equipment and follow a timeline of the development of climate and life, for example.

Read more about Arctic Venue

Mud At the bottom of a Greenland fjord, a team of Danish researchers has found new knowledge about climate development since the last Ice Age.Read the article published in Aktuel Naturvidenskab (Current Science): The climate’s tracks in the mud (PDF in Danish only).
Geoviden (popular science magazine about geology and geography), Kuijpers & Seidenkrantz: theme issue about the Ocean, Ice and Climate Changes (PDF in Danish only).

Sustainable agriculture and food production (10 and 12 December)
Research Professor Jørgen E.Olesen, Department of Agroecology and Environment, is a member of the UN Climate Panel (IPCC) and is contributing with a major international event for COP15 Mediators at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotekon 10 December, and with a side event at the Bella Center on 16 December at 10.00–11.30.

Holland Climate House (12 December)
Professor Mikael Skou Andersen from DMU is taking part in the major Dutch climate research programme called Holland Climate House. This will provide a comprehensive range of activities at the Bella Center throughout the COP15 conference.

Read more about the Holland Climate House

AU students in DR debate (17 December)
Approximately 80 AU students are taking part in The Greatest Debate on Earth , organised by DR (the Danish Broadcasting Corporation) and BBC World News. Students with insight into climate issues are specifically invited to this special debate event in DR’s Concert Hall, where all the most significant politicians – including Obama, if he comes to COP15 – will discuss the outcome of COP15 with Danish and international students.The meeting is being transmitted around the world to more than 500 million viewers.

See details and times at www.klima.au.dk

More information

Journalist Lis Fisker Langkjer, Climate Secretariat, +45 8942 2459/2366 6617, lfl@adm.au.dk

16 November 2009

Rasmus Stensgaard
Communication Office
rst@adm.au.dk