By: Brendan Kelly, SEARCH Executive Director and Brit Myers, ARCUS Project Manager
Responding to rapid environmental change in the Arctic requires the combined efforts of Arctic scientists from many disciplines, diverse Indigenous perspectives, and policy makers from all levels of government. The Arctic Futures 2050 Conference—convened by the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH)—will be an international conference designed to enhance collaboration between those groups.
The conference will be held 4-6 September 2019 at the National Academies of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Invited speakers and participants will include Arctic scientists; Indigenous Peoples; policy makers; natural resource managers; and military, industrial, and other operators in the Arctic.
Background Resources - Pre-conference resources that are currently available include:
Scenarios - A SEARCH-led scenarios workshop helps frame the Arctic Futures 2050 conference. Participants are invited to prepare for the conference by reviewing and considering the scenarios here.
Knowledge and Policy Interplay Diagrams - Arctic Futures 2050 participants are invited to complete an optional four-question Knowledge-Policy-Interface survey to inform conference planning and post-conference products. Learn more and complete the survey here.
Reading List: A background document reading list is also available to help conference participants learn more about the intersection of Arctic Science and Policy.
Conference Agenda - The current draft agenda includes talks, panels, and sessions on:
- past and future Arctic environments
- Indigenous knowledge approaches to informing policy
- how predictions and models inform the future
- melting ice, thawing permafrost, and changing ecosystems
- case studies on fisheries, conservation, and subsistence whaling, and
- other topics integrating science, Indigenous knowledge, and policy.
Research, Indigenous perspectives, and policy programs from around the Arctic will be presented in posters.
Conference Registration: Registration is now open. Early-bird registration rates are available through 10 July 2019. Register here.
Hotel Reservations: Information on making hotel reservations with a special Arctic Futures 2050 conference rate can be found here. The group hotel rate will be available on a first come, first served basis through 2 August 2019.
For questions, contact: Brendan Kelly, SEARCH Executive Director, by email (bpkelly [at] alaska.edu) or by phone (907-209-6531).