Peace, Conflict, and Climate Change (call for presentation abstracts)

ISA World Congress of Sociology, 11-17 July 2010, http://www.isa-sociology.org/congress2010
Gothenburg, Sweden http://www.goteborg.com/default.aspx?id=528

Session on "Peace, Conflict, and Climate Change"
Currently scheduled for Wednesday 14 July 2010, 14:30 to 16:00 (subject to change)
Under the Research Committee on Sociology of Disasters RC39 http://www.isa-sociology.org/rc39.htm

Please submit through my contact details at http://www.ilankelman.org/contact.html a 300-400 word abstract plus 3-5 references before the end of February 2009. Feedback will be sent before the end of March 2009, so please ensure that any spam filters will accept my reply to you. If presentation slots are still available afterwards, later submissions will be considered as they are received until all slots are filled.

The disaster of climate change is intertwined with peace and conflict at many levels, from international environmental negotiations to indigenous communities using local abilities and resources to forge connections for dealing with climate change's impacts. This session will explore these interlinks, in particular to try separate the hyperbole over climate change causing all witnessed problems from the reality of climate change exposing vulnerabilities and conflicts that have long simmered but have not been addressed. Authors are encouraged to think broadly about peace and conflict and to ensure that any presentation critically engages with contemporary discourse on the topic.

Please submit through my contact details at http://www.ilankelman.org/contact.html a 300-400 word abstract plus 3-5 references before the end of February 2009. Feedback will be sent before the end of March 2009, so please ensure that any spam filters will accept my reply to you. If presentation slots are still available afterwards, later submissions will be considered as they are received until all slots are filled.

Session Description:

The disaster of climate change is intertwined with peace and conflict at many levels, from international environmental negotiations to indigenous communities using local abilities and resources to forge connections for dealing with climate change's impacts. This session will explore these interlinks, in particular to try separate the hyperbole over climate change causing all witnessed problems from the reality of climate change exposing vulnerabilities and conflicts that have long simmered but have not been addressed.

Authors are encouraged to think broadly about peace and conflict and to ensure that any presentation critically engages with contemporary discourse on the topic. Three papers, each of presentation length 17 minutes, are being solicited, but if more than three abstracts are recommended for acceptance, then other sessions might be available for those. All abstracts will be reviewed, focusing especially on creativity and innovation, and comments will be provided to authors.

Illustrative examples of paper topics could be:

-The bitter debates over and strong alliances forged during the negotiation and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and the post-Kyoto agreement.

-"Disaster diplomacy" theory and practice applied to climate change http://www.disasterdiplomacy.org/cep.html

-Whether or not the discourse over potential conflict resulting from so-called "climate change refugees" or "climate refugees" addresses the root cause of the problems that lead to migration http://www.nrc.no/?did=9268973

-Whether or not environmental management issues and treaties related to or affected by climate change, including the Antarctic Treaty System and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, could or should lead to lasting, positive diplomatic outcomes beyond environmental management--or whether more conflict will result.

Lessons being sought could encompass:

-How much does scientific and technological cooperation on climate change assist different forms of peace and conflict?

-How prominent are transboundary issues even when international relations are not the overriding influence on the political situation or the climate change affected situation?

-With early warning available now for some climate change impacts, such as sea-level rise inundating coastlines, does that assist or hinder the resolution of long-standing disputes not related to climate change?

-Will natural resources--such as water, fish, precious metals, and fossil fuels--dominate the peace and conflict implications of climate change or will people, their homes, and their identities receive deserved attention?