The vast amount of carbon stored in the arctic and boreal regions of the world is more than double that previously estimated, according to a study published this week. The amount of carbon in frozen soils, sediments and river deltas (permafrost) raises new concerns over the role of the northern regions as future sources of greenhouse gases.

Science-Policy Interactions In International Governance. The Antarctic Treaty Summit will be convened at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC from November 30 to December 3, 2009, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signature-day for the Antarctic Treaty in the city where it was adopted in “in the interest of all mankind.” The Antarctic Treaty Summit is a fully endorsed project of the International Polar Year, funded internationally from public and private sources.

27 September - 1 October 2010, Perth, Scotland The overall conference theme of global change and the world’s mountains includes a wide range of themes addressed by scientists from diverse natural and social science disciplines. Key individuals around the world have proposed sessions on the themes

At the IHDP Open Meeting 2009, the recently printed Earth System Governance Science and Implementation Plan has been presented. The Science Plan elaborates upon the concept of earth system governance and on the central questions, methods and processes of the global research effort in this field.

Bonn, 1 April 2009 The 5th Bonn Dialogues on Global Environmental Change were held as a special event of UNESCO's World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development and took place on April 1st 2009 at 6:30p.m. at the Deutsche Post Tower, Bonn...

With a more comprenhensive and interesting format, the IHDP Secretariat has just launched the IHDP Annual Report 2008.

This issue of IHDP UPDATE magazine, the first of 2009, introduces the set-up, the programme and the overarching goals for the 7th International Science Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change, also known as the IHDP Open Meeting 2009.

The HDGEC Discussion List serves as an electronic forum for the exchange of information and opinions on the human dimensions of global environmental change. Subscribers receive regular e-mail messages from other members of HDGEC Discussion List free of charge.

December 5–6, 2008, Eco Health Forum, Merida, Mexico The inaugural Scientific Steering Committee Meeting of the ESSP Joint Project on Global Environmental Change and Human Health convened in Merida, Mexico, 5 – 6 December, 2008 in conjunction with the EcoHealth Forum.

1-13 December, 2008; Poznań, Poland. During first two weeks of December, more than 12,000 participants from all over the world, including delegates from 180 countries, gathered in Poznań, Poland to discuss the most urgent challenges of climate change during the14th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)...

The IHDP Scientific Committee met in New Delhi, India. There the committee made very important decisions for the future advancement of the Programme, such as the launch of the Earth System Governance Project as a new IHDP core project and the Integrated Risk Governance project as an Pilot Science Project with the aim to transform it in the coming months into a core project as well.

The IHDP Scientific Committee, at its 15th meeting in New Delhi, India, in October 2008, unanimously approved IRG-Project as a Pilot Science Project of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change.

11-16 October, New Delhi, India researchers from around the planet met in New Delhi to participate in the International Human Dimensions Workshop (IHDW). Aimed at training the young and mid-career human dimensions researchers, the IHDW is a capacity development activity that takes place every two years and is planned and carried out by the International Human Dimension Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)...

IHDP has added another project to its scientific portfolio, the Earth System Governance Project. On 16 October 2008, the IHDP Scientific Committee approved the Earth System Governance Science and Implementation Plan and appointed the Scientific Steering Committee of the Project. These decisions marked the formal start of this new long-term research project on earth system governance and added the Earth System Governance Project to IHDP’s portfolio...

Institutions and Environmental Change is the product of a decade-long international research project on the Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC) carried out under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme. The book’s policy insights demonstrate that research on institutions can provide the basis for practical advice on effective ways to deal with the most pressing environmental problems...