Within the framework of the 11th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP 2016) organized by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and taking place in Potsdam from 20 to 24 June 2016, the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), in cooperation with the Embassy of Canada and the Ecologic Institute, will hold an event on the topic of "Permafrost Research at the Science-Policy Interface". Registration for ICOP 2016 is open until 31 May 2016.

The event will take place at Kongresshotel Potsdam by Lake Templin from 6:15 pm to 7:45 pm on Monday, 20  June 2016. For directions to the venue, please visit the ICOP conference website.

This session will discuss policy implications  of changing permafrost with representatives of those countries that are directly affected by such changes. In addition to the Arctic countries with widespread permafrost distribution (Canada, Russia and the USA), these are also countries with mountain permafrost, such as Switzerland and China. The session will be opened by a generally understandable scientific keynote and then include short panel presentations by representatives of these five countries, followed by a panel discussion. The panel is composed of policy representatives and scientists with experience in working at the science-­policy interface. Panelists will address the following guiding questions:

• What are the global, regional and local policy-­relevant risks related to changing permafrost?
• How does the scientific community generate policy-­relevant permafrost knowledge and how is this knowledge communicated to policy makers?

The session is open for all conference participants and invited representatives of the Ministries, Embassies, Think Tanks and Foundations in the Berlin capital area.

Program

Keynote: “Permafrost: critical questions, emerging answers”
Antoni G. Lewkowicz (University of Ottawa, Canada, President of the International Permafrost Association)

Panel

• José Romero (Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications)
• Norah Foy (Polar Knowledge Canada)
• Nikolai Shiklomanov (The George Washington University, USA)
• Tingjun Zhang (Lanzhou University, China)
• Oleg Anisimov (State Hydrological Institute, Russia)

Moderator: Volker Rachold (International Arctic Science Committee)