High level meeting on climate on Svalbard

This year’s Ny-Ålesund-symposium, which takes place from 30 June to 2 July, focuses on research challenges in the face of global climate change.

Norway’s minister of research and higher education Tora Aasland hosts the symposium, where 35 invited researchers, politicians, leaders in business and industry and representatives of international organisations from several countries meet to share experiences and discuss solutions related to climate change.

Ministers of research from three countries are gathered in Ny-Ålesund: minister Annette Schavan from Germany, minister Kapil Sibal from India and minister Tora Aasland from Norway.

During the symposium, the new Indian research station in Ny-Ålesund will be opened. Japan opened a research station there already in 1990, South Korea opened a station in 2002, and China followed in 2004. Today Germany, UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, China, India and Norway have established research stations in Ny-Ålesund, and every year researchers from around 20 countries have research visits there. The research activity is especially high in Ny-Ålesund during the summer months.

The participants at the symposium will discuss the following topics:

• How research and development may contribute to solutions related to climate change
• Research on snow and ice as examples of successful international research cooperation
• Development of climate friendly technologies - what is needed and how do we implement new technologies and climate friendly solutions?
• The need for further international research cooperation

This year’s Ny-Ålesund-symposium is the third in a row.