The Role of Information in an Age of Climate Change An International Conference to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Aarhus Convention

The conference will address synergies across the first two ‘pillars’ of the Aarhus Convention - access to information and public participation - and examine the broader implications of these interactions for an advanced implementation of Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the “New Delhi Work Programme”. The conference will focus in particular on the role of public access to environmental science-based information and public participation in decision-making on issues related to climate policy as provided under regulatory instruments facilitated by the Aarhus Convention that are crucial to local, regional and global success of the UNFCCC. Key topics of the conference are: · The importance of scientific based environmental information and findings as a basis for public awareness as well as for political awareness of climate issues; · Access to environmental information that can provide synergy between mitigation measures and adaptation needs; · The importance of public participation as an integrated part of decision-making on adaptation and mitigation policies; and · Public participation as a means by which political and social values and tradeoffs are incorporated into political decisions on climate related issues.