Centrum pro otázky životního prostředí bude stejně jako v loňském roce spolupořádat
SCOPE - UNEP mezinárodní seminář k současným environmentálním problémům
Cílem semináře, kterého se bude účastnit pracovní skupina dvaceti expertů z celého světa, je připravit dvě kapitoly pro 2012 UNEP Yearbook. Seminář se bude konat v prostorách COŽP UK od 29. srpna do 1. září 2011.
Témata semináře:
The Decommissioning of Nuclear Reactors and their Environmental Consequences (Odstavování jadernýách reaktorů z provozu a jeho důsledky pro životní prostředí)
Many of the world’s nuclear reactors are aging and will need to be decommissioned very soon. The Fukushima nuclear accident of March 2011 has further accelerated plans to close nuclear plants, with some countries now setting timelines for shutting down their plants. Decommissioning is going to be a major operation, leading to increases in the amount of radioactive waste and requiring adequate numbers of trained professionals to handle the treatment and storage of such wastes. International interventions, procedures, policies and cooperation are needed to share knowledge and expertise and minimize hazards posed by decommissioning activities to humans and the environment.
Carbon benefits of soils (Význam půdy pro uhlíkový cyklus)
Soils store massive amounts of carbon. In fact, more than three times as much carbon is stored in the earth’s soils as in the atmosphere. The capacity of soils to store carbon is rapidly growing in importance due to the unprecedented amounts of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions entering the atmosphere and leading to climate change. Intensive agriculture is causing profound changes in soils by eliminating plant debris through harvest and tillage, thus contributing little to the formation of humus. Scientists estimate that soil carbon stocks may decline as much as 60 per cent after natural ecosystems are converted to cropland. With the huge challenge ahead of increasing food production by 70 per cent to feed 9 billion people by 2050, the demand on land will be enormous. How will changing land use affect the functioning of available soils and soil services such as sequestering carbon? What will be the impact of global warming on microbial decomposition and the release of carbon stored in frozen soils and peat? A better understanding of the role of soil is critical to respond to the emerging climate change and food security challenges.
