Third Basel Sustainability Forum
Welcome from the Chairs
Average global surface temperatures have dramatically risen since the industrial revolution. Colloquially referred to as global warming or climate change, most scientists and policy makers are united in recognizing this to have many adverse local and global economic, social, and environmental consequences. These range from the threat of extinction of bumble bees and butterflies to famines, civil wars, mass migration, and the need to prepare and respond to increasing climate hazards. Most expert dissent occurs when discussing which regions are effected in what way, who is accountable, what can be done, and how much time we have to mitigate the effects of climate change.
This conference presents the current status of research and policy on climate change in Switzerland and beyond, and it will address some controversial topics, such as the pricing and consumption of fossil fuels affecting pathways towards decarbonization, the right of developing economies to follow their own development path, the competition between economic interests and their social or environmental consequences, and a certain competition between a global climate change agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Henri Rueff, Nikolaus Kuhn, and Max Bergman
Chairs of the 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum
When: 4 June 2018, 08:30-17:00
The event is free but participants need to register here.
Places are limited and we are unable to accommodate unregistered guests, once we reach the limit imposed by the conference venue.
The Basel Sustainability Forum is a Swiss local offshot of the World Sustainability Forum.
The conference language is English.
Other edition in this series: 1st Basel Sustainability Forum: Energy and 2nd Basel Sustainabilty Forum: Mobility
Conference Chairs
Henri Rueff
Senior Research Scientist, Socio-Economic Transitions Cluster, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE),
University of Bern, Switzerland
Nikolaus Kuhn
Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
Max Bergman
Professor of Social Research and Methodology, University of Basel, Switzerland
Introduction of Program
Max Bergman
Professor of Social Research and Methodology, University of Basel, Switzerland
Speakers
Ed Constable
Professor, Department of Chemistry and Vice-Rector for Research, University of Basel, Switzerland
Océane Dayer
Founder and Vice-President Swiss Youth for Climate and Co-Chair SDSN Switzerland
Henri Rueff
Senior Research Scientist, Socio-Economic Transitions Cluster, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE),
University of Bern, Switzerland
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development, Unit Leader Sustainable Land Management, University of Bern, Switzerland
Thomas Stocker
Professor Head of Division, Climate and Environmental Physics (CEP), University of Bern, Switzerland
Roundtable of Stakeholders
Moderation
Kim Berrendorf
Master of Science (M.Sc.), University of Basel, Switzerland
Participants
Angela Hinel 
Scientific Assistant, Programme MGU, University of Basel, Switzerland
Thomas A. Hügli
Chief Sustainability Officer at AXA Switzerland
Fabian Käser
platinn - plateforme innovation, Fribourg, Switzerland and Creapole SA, Delémont, Switzerland
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development, Unit Leader Sustainable Land Management, University of Bern, Switzerland
Andreas Zivy
Chairman of Ameropa Holding, Founding Member of the Ameropa Foundation
Marco Piffaretti
Institute for European Global Studies, University of Basel, Switzerland
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Conference Secretariat
Dr. Franck Vazquez
Martha Vogel
Christoph Ratz
Matthias Burkhalter
Email: burkhalter@mdpi.com
Mailing Address
MDPI
BSF 2018 Secretariat
St. Alban-Anlage 66
4052 Basel, Switzerland
www.mdpi.com
Conference Chairs
Senior Research Scientist, Socio-Economic Transitions Cluster, Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Switzerland
Website
henri.rueff@cde.unibe.ch
nikolaus.kuhn@unibas.ch
max.bergman@unibas.ch
Event Gallery
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
Sponsors
Patronage
Program & Schedule
Final Program
The 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum: Climate
4 June 2018, Alte Universität, University of Basel, Switzerland
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08:30 |
Registration |
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Morning Chair: Dr. Henri Rueff, University of Bern |
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09:00 |
Introduction of Program |
Prof. Max Bergman |
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09:05 |
Keynote: Conflicts Between Climate Change and Sustainability Goals from the Point of View of Materials Science |
Prof. Ed Constable |
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09:30 |
Keynote: Climate Change: Resource Problem of the 21st Century |
Prof. Thomas Stocker |
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10:15 |
Coffee Break |
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10:45 |
Keynote: The Paris Agreement – Mobilization Beyond the International Arena |
Ms. Océane Dayer |
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11:30 |
Questions and Panel Discussion |
Moderator: |
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12:15 |
Lunch Break |
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Afternoon Chair: Prof. Max Bergman, University of Basel |
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13:45 |
Keynote: Climatic Hazards in Africa and Insights for Farmers Food Security |
Prof. Chinwe Ifejika Speranza |
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14:30 |
Keynote: Decarbonizing without Peak Oil |
Dr. Henri Rueff |
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15:15 |
Coffee Break |
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15:45 |
Multi-stakeholders Roundtable |
Moderator: |
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Panelists |
Prof. Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, University of Bern |
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17:00 |
Closing Remarks |
Prof. Max Bergman, University of Basel |
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17:15 |
Apéro offered by MDPI |
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When: 4 June 2018, 08:30-17:00
Where: Alte Universität, Rheinsprung 9/11, University of Basel
The event is free but participants need to register here.
Places are limited and we are unable to accommodate unregistered guests, once we reach the limit imposed by the conference venue.
The Basel Sustainability Forum is a Swiss local offshot of the World Sustainability Forum.
The conference language is English.
Other edition in this series: 1st Basel Sustainability Forum: Energy and 2nd Basel Sustainabilty Forum: Mobility
WLAN: unibas-event
Login: bsf-2018
Password: Climate18
Get Updates
Subscribe to the BSF2018 conference news by submitting your email address on the left of this page.
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Travel & Registration Information
The event is public and free of charge.
To register for this conference, please follow this link. If you need assistance, please e-mail the Conference Secretary.
Conference Venue
Basel
The conference will be held at the 'Alte Universität', Rheinsprung 9/11, University of Basel.
About the University of Basel
The University of Basel has an international reputation of outstanding achievements in research and teaching. Founded in 1460, the University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland and has a history of success going back over 550 years.
As a comprehensive university offering a wide range of high-quality educational opportunities, the University of Basel attracts students from Switzerland and the entire world, offering them outstanding studying conditions as they work towards their bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degrees. Today, the University of Basel has around 13,000 students from over a hundred nations, including 2,700 PhD students.
The University of Basel has seven faculties covering a wide spectrum of academic disciplines. At the same time, the university has positioned itself amidst the international competition in the form of five strategic focal areas: Life Sciences, Visual Studies, Nanosciences, Sustainability and Energy Research and European and Global Studies. In international rankings, the University of Basel is regularly placed among the 100 top universities in the world thanks to its research achievements.
The University of Basel has deep roots in the economically powerful and culturally rich Basel region. The university also works closely with domestic and international partners to make relevant contributions to the advancement of the sciences and society. This also means that the University of Basel pays particular attention to aspects of sustainability, equal opportunity and knowledge transfer.
BSF2018 Blog
07 June 2018
BSF2018 - 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum: Climate
The 3rd Sustainability Conference about Climate has been held in Basel on the 4th June 2018 at the "Alte Universität" and it has been a success! The photos, presentations/slides and two videos have been uploaded at https://sci.fo/4n1 .
30 May 2018
Basel Sustainability Forum Series 2019 / 2020
The organizer of the Basel Sustainability Forum Series are currently looking for partners for the next four editions of the Basel Sustainability Forum.
For more information please contact: Matthias Burkhalter. Email: burkhalter@mdpi.com
29 May 2018
BSF2018 - Final Program Uploaded
The final program of the 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum on Climate has been uploaded at https://bsf-3.sciforum.net/. Keynote: Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, University of Bern - Climatic Hazards in Africa and Insights for Farmers Food Security.
24 May 2018
BSF2018 - The 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum: Climate
Keynote: Océane Dayer, Swiss Youth for Climate and SDSN Switzerland - The Paris Agreement – Mobilization Beyond the International Arena
Paris Agreement: Essential Elements
The Paris Agreement builds upon the Convention and for the first time brings all nations into a common cause to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects, with enhanced support to assist developing countries to do so. As such, it charts a new course in the global climate effort.
The Paris Agreement central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate financial flows, a new technology framework and an enhanced capacity building framework will be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for enhanced transparency of action and support through a more robust transparency framework. Further information on key aspects of the Agreement can be found here.
Reference: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
14 May 2018
BSF2018 - The 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum: Climate - Roundtable Moderation by Kim Berrendorf
Kim Berrendorf alias KimiB.Good will moderate the Multi-stakeholders Roundtable at the 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum on Climate. Participants: Angela Hinel (University of Basel), Thomas Hügli (Chief Sustainability Officer AXA Switzerland), Matthias Nabholz (Head Environment and Energy, Canton Basel-Stadt), Chinwe Ifejika Speranza (Professor University of Bern), Andreas Zivy (Chairman of Ameropa Holding, Founding Member of the Ameropa Foundation) and Marco Piffaretti (University of Basel).
27 April 2018
BSF2019 / 1 - The 4th Basel Sustainability Fourm: Health
Announcement: The 4th Basel Sustainability Forum on Health Issues in Switzerland and Africa will be held in Spring 2019. Ideas? Please let us know and subscribe to the 'Conference Series' to stay updated.
19 April 2018
Short Bio of the Confirmed Main Speakers
Océane Dayer
Founder and Vice-President Swiss Youth for Climate and Co-Chair SDSN Switzerland. As the representative of the Swiss Youth at the UN (YouthRep) in 2015, Océane founded Swiss Youth for Climate https://sci.fo/4qt. She is also Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Switzerland https://sci.fo/4qu
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza
Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development, Unit Leader Sustainable Land Management, University of Bern, Switzerland https://sci.fo/4qv. Prof. Ifejika Speranza is a Geographer with backgrounds in Climatology (BSc, Univ. of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria), Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (MSc, Univ. of Zurich), and Human Geography (PhD, Univ. of Bern). She is Professor at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Switzerland. She has over 10 years’ experience in training Extension Officers in Kenya and Tanzania on drought and food security management, and is involved in science-policy activities. She is an associate fellow at the German Development Institute, Bonn, and a visiting Professor at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She is an editorial board member of Regional Environmental Change.
Thomas Stocker
Professor Head of Division, Climate and Environmental Physics (CEP), University of Bern, Switzerland https://sci.fo/4p2. Thomas Stocker was born in Zürich and obtained a PhD in Natural Sciences of ETH Zürich in 1987. He held research positions at University College London, McGill University (Montreal), Columbia University (New York) and University of Hawai'i (Honolulu). Since 1993 he is Professor of Climate and Environmental Physics at the University of Bern. Thomas Stocker has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers in the area of climate dynamics and paleoclimate modeling and reconstruction. From 2008 to 2015 he served as Co-Chair of Working Group I of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) https://sci.fo/4qw that provided the scientific foundation of the Paris Agreement https://sci.fo/4qy. Thomas Stocker holds two honorary doctorates (University of Versailles and ETH Zürich) and received numerous awards for his work. He is a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and received the Swiss Science Prize Marcel Benoist in 2017 https://marcel-benoist.ch/en/.
Only few places available. Please register here.
06 April 2018
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza and Thomas Stocker Keynote Speakers at the 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza, Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development, Unit Leader Sustainable Land Management and Thomas Stocker, Professor Head of Division, Climate and Environmental Physics (CEP) both from the University of Bern, Switzerland confirmed as keynote speakers at the 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum on Climate.
The event is free but participants need to register here.
05 April 2018
United Nations Climate Change Head Wants Donald Trump Back in the Paris Agreement
Photo: Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The head of the United Nations body charged with addressing global warming wants to work with the Trump administration to bring the U.S. back into the Paris Agreement on climate change, she told TIME last week at an energy conference in Houston.
Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said that she remains “hopeful” that Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Agreement can be reversed before it becomes official in 2020. By Justin Worland, TIME
For full reading, please refer to: https://sci.fo/4ov
02 April 2018
China’s Bold Energy Vision
Thandi Mgwebi, Max Bergman, Sonia and Jeffrey Sachs joint recipients of the first World
Sustainability Award, and Franck Vazquez at the ceremony during WSF2017 in Cape Town,
South Africa. Photo: Matthias Burkhalter
China’s proposed Global Energy Interconnection – based on renewables, ultra-high-voltage transmission, and an AI-powered smart grid – represents the boldest global initiative by any government to achieve the goals of the Paris climate agreement. It is a strategy fit for the scale of the most important challenge the world faces today. By Jeffrey D. Sachs
For full reading, please refer to: https://sci.fo/4o7
Chinese Version: 中国大胆的能源愿景
29 March 2018
"Every country must put the welfare of the whole Earth above all else"
Photo: Joseph Deiss. © WTI
Whether the environment, business and trade, migration, or institutional development: the international community faces immense challenges. Now, 15 years after it officially joined the UN, Switzerland, too, must re-examine its global role: Does it wish to act as a bridge builder for a better world? How does it help enable real solutions? At the 1st Swiss-UN Day on March 23, 2018, representatives from science, policy, international organizations, and civil society met at the University of Bern to discuss the way forward. By Gaby Allheilig
For full reading, please refer to: https://sci.fo/4o1
07 March 2018
University of Basel tests camera for Mars rover
From Witterswil to Mars: Professor Nikolaus Kuhn tests the operation of a specially
developed camera with a model of the ExoMars Rover. (Image: University of Basel, Florian Moritz)
In 2020, the European Space Agency (ESA) is sending a rover into space to examine the surface of Mars for signs of life. Its on-board equipment includes a high-resolution camera developed in Switzerland, and researchers from the University of Basel are currently testing the camera’s operation in an artificial Martian landscape.
For full reading, please refer to: https://sci.fo/4n7
01 September 2017
Climate scientist Thomas Stocker awarded the Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize
Professor Thomas Stocker and Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann.
Thomas Stocker, a professor at the University of Bern, has been awarded this year’s Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize. By means of climate modelling and ice core analysis, Prof Stocker has been able to demonstrate the reality of climate change and its resulting consequences. In keeping with the objects of the Foundation, his research findings are of great importance to human life, and address one of the main challenges facing today’s society. Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, President of the Marcel Benoist Foundation, met Professor Thomas Stocker in Bern today, and congratulated him on this important award. The award ceremony will be held in Bern on 1 November.
For full reading, please refer to: https://sci.fo/4n8
Conference Poster
Restaurants for Lunch
10 minutes by tram 8 direction 'Neuweilerstrasse' - 'Tram Stop: Markthalle'
Alte Markthalle, Steinentorberg 10, 4051 Basel
Photo: Alte Markthalle
10 or less minutes walk from the 'Alte Universität' Basel
KLARA, Clarastrasse 13, 4058 Basel
Photo: Nicolas Gysin
Manor Basel, Greifengasse 22, 4058 Basel
or one of the 'Buvettes' alongside the 'Kleinbasler Rheinufer'
More restaurants can be found here: https://sci.fo/4s4
Conference Presentations
Max Bergman - Welcome and Farewell Message at the 3rd Basel Sustainability Forum on Climate
Ed Constable - Conflicts Between Climate Change and Sustainability Goals from the Point of View of Materials Science
Thomas Stocker - Climate Change: Resource Problem of the 21st Century
Océane Dayer - The Paris Agreement – Mobilization Beyond the International Arena
Chinwe Ifejika Speranza - Climatic Hazards in Africa and Insights for Farmers Food Security
Henri Rueff - Decarbonizing without Peak Oil
