MDPI International Mother Earth Day 2026
IMED2026
Meet Our Speakers
Dr. Luxon Nhamo
Water Research Commission of South Africa, South Africa;
Dr. Luxon Nhamo is a Research Manager at the Water Research Commission of South Africa (WRC), specialising in agricultural water management and transformative, circular systems for sustainable climate change adaptation. Dr. Nhamo takes pride in working with and improving the livelihoods of vulnerable smallholder farmers in marginalised areas. He holds a PhD in Environmental GIS and Remote Sensing from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He has over 25 years of progressive research experience across three continents—South America, Europe, and Africa. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed research articles and has been a keynote speaker at various scientific forums. His research interests include agricultural water management, the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus, transformative and circular approaches, and climate change adaptation.
Dr. Sylvia Vetter
University of Aberdeen, UK;
Dr. Sylvia Vetter is an environmental modeller focused on climate change impacts, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and soil organic carbon in agriculture, grasslands, and land-use change. Since 2012, she has worked with the Environmental Modelling Group at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen (UK), where her research centres on modelling GHG emissions, soil health, soil organic carbon, and evaluating mitigation options such as soil carbon sequestration, biochar, and enhanced rock weathering. Her work has expanded to include diet-related emissions and the impacts of the wider food system. She obtained a Dr. Rer. Nat. from Technische Universität Dresden (Germany) in 2016 for her dissertation on carbon dioxide and water fluxes over semi-arid grasslands in Inner Mongolia, China, and has a degree in hydrology and meteorology from TU Dresden.
Dr. Gianpaolo Tomaselli
University of Malta, Malta;
Dr. Gianpaolo Tomaselli is a Lecturer in the Department of Health Systems Management and Leadership at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Malta. Alongside his academic role, he holds a managerial position within Malta’s public health sector, combining practical healthcare management with research and teaching. He holds a Bachelor’s in Administration, a Master’s in Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Economics and Management in Health Care from the Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Italy. His research focuses on health systems management, corporate social responsibility in healthcare, stakeholder wellbeing, and sustainability. Dr Tomaselli has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Socially Responsible and Sustainable Healthcare. He is also actively involved in international research initiatives, including Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ projects.
Sponsors and Partners
Organizer
Welcome to the MDPI International Mother Earth Day Webinar 2026!
Each year, International Mother Earth Day brings together researchers, environmental leaders, and advocates from around the world to raise awareness and inspire action to protect our planet. In 2026, the theme “Our Power, Our Planet” highlights the urgent need for collective action and civic engagement to influence environmental policy, accelerate climate action, and drive meaningful change at both local and global levels.
In this webinar, leading experts will share insights from their research on key environmental challenges and sustainable solutions. The session will foster interdisciplinary dialogue, promote collaboration, and highlight how scientific research can contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future.
Register now and join us!
Date: 22 April 2026
Time: 12:00 pm CEST | 6:00 pm CST Asia
Webinar ID: 834 0870 6694
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Dr. Gianpaolo Tomaselli: “This webinar, organized by MDPI in celebration of International Mother Earth Day 2026, brought together researchers and experts to discuss environmental sustainability and global ecological challenges. The session highlighted innovative research and strategies aimed at protecting natural resources and promoting sustainable development. Participants engaged in discussions on advancing environmental awareness and collaborative solutions for a more sustainable future.”
Dr Sylvia Vetter: “Agriculture is both a source and a solution for climate change. Through soil carbon sequestration (SCS), the sector offers an opportunity to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and store it as organic carbon in the soil. As soil organic carbon is an indicator of soil health, it is associated with multiple benefits for the soil, increasing, therefore, ecosystem resilience and sustainable food production. SCS, as a climate solution, has its challenges and limitations, but should be part of climate solution pathways due to its potential and overall positive impacts.”
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.
"Climate Change Adaptation in Water Resource Management"
Special Issue Editors: Prof. Dr. Athanasios Loukas and Dr. Aikaterini Lyra
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2026