With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations

DRAFT PROGRAMInternational Conference“Mountains: energy, water and food for life.
The SHARE project: understanding the impacts of climate change”
Milan
2727-28 May,May, 2009PROMOTING COMMITTEE
L. Maiani ( President, CNR)
A. Da Polenza (President, Ev-K2-CNR)
C. Bouvier (Director, UNEP ROE)
D. McGuire ((Mountain Partnership Secretariat UN-FAO)
E. Croci ( Comune di Milano)
E. Belloni (DGCS – MAE)
C. Clini (Min. Amb.)SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
G. Cavaretta (DTA _ CNR)
S. Fuzzi (CNR –ISAC)
L. Barrie (WMO)
V. Ramanathan (SIO)
A. Navarra (CMCC)
R. Valentini (Univ. Della Tuscia)
F. Giorgi (ICTP)
B. Villavecchia (Environment and Energy Dep. AMA)ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
F. Steffanoni (Ev-K2-CNR)
F. Sernia (CNR)

1

With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations

CONTEXT and BACKGROUND:Over the past six years, since the declaration of 2002-International Year of Mountains by the United Nations and theJohannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, thanks to greater global environmental awareness andsignificant developments made in high altitude scientific research, the recognition of mountain environments as some of theworld’s most important ecosystems has increased dramatically. Already at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992,
Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 confirmed the need for sustainable development in mountain regions, given mountains’ crucial role
as sources of water, energy, biodiversity, minerals, forest products and agricultural products. 10% of the world's population
depends directly on mountains, especially for freshwater, while millions more benefit indirectly from such mountain
resources.
In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed that climate change is not only happening, butthat global warming is affecting many physical and biological processes, which in turn affect the availability of water
resources, food security and human health. Mountain ecosystems were identified in a recent report of the General Assemblyof the United Nations as key indicators of such effects of climate change, especially in terms of vulnerable resources likebiodiversity and water.
Over the past century, the size of glaciers in the Alps and the Caucasus mountains has been reduced by half. In Africa, only
8% of the largest glacier in the mountains of Kenya still remains. If this trend continues, by the end of the 21st century, many
mountain glaciers will have completely disappeared, and along with them, vital sources of freshwater. The Himalayan
glaciers, like those of the Alps, the Andes, etc., act as water towers for entire populations. These frozen reservoirs not only
provide water for drinking and cooking, but also for irrigation and livestock, industry and hydro-electric power to millions, if
not billions, of people. Furthermore, winter and summer mountain tourism, a primary source of livelihoods in many mountainregions, also depends on the state of the environment, with its increasingly unpredictable climate trends and widely
changing seasonal variations.
Mountains constitute an extraordinary platform for monitoring climate change and its effects. They can be considered
representative of vast spatial areas, areas often only theoretically uncontaminated. Furthermore, mountains themselves
influence local and global climates, although their role in this sense is not entirely understood. Only through high altituderesearch and environmental monitoring might we increase our knowledge and help guide future policy choices to ensure
the conservation and sustainable development of mountain ecosystems, key to our wellbeing on the planet.
planet.
Governments, local administrators, international organizations and the scientific community all need reliable information on
the health of mountain environments so as to develop strategies that might reverse the trend of global warming, or at least
mitigate its worst effects. Scientific researchers have a responsibility to the public to raise awareness on the implications ofclimate change in mountain areas. Their role in helping define policies for integrated mitigation and adaptation actions
cannot be underestimated.
In Lombardy, highlands constitute over 40% of the region, while in Italy they make up the three quarters of the country (hills:41.6%. mountains: 35.2%). On a global level, mountains amount to 25% of the Earth’s surface.
At the 2015
2015 World Expo, with its focus on food security and other major environmental issues, the important role ofmountains cannot be ignored. Climate change is first and foremost among the Expo topics that could benefit from thecontributions made by mountain research, as are other key themes central to Italy’s motivation to host the Expo. Italy’s
Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, has declared that these global problems, already subject of intense international debate,
will take center stage when Italy hosts the 2009 G8 meeting as well. Those issues include:
oEnvironmental protectionoSustainable development
oRenewable energiesoProtection of biodiversity
oCombating desertification
oPrevention of natural disasters
oAccess to water for all
The problem of food security must be dealt with as a basic prerequisite to sustainable development. In order to address thisissue, however, we need to better comprehend climate change processes and their impacts on ecosystems andappropriate
te adaptation strategies at the local, national and global levels. A
environmental services in order to develop appropria

thorough understanding of our changing climate and the effects on fragile ecosystems and natural resources will only betakenpossible if research and monitoring data from mountain areas is ta
ken into account.
Finally, it is also significant that 2015 marks the year by which 189 governments of the world agreed to meet the Millennium
Development Goals and Expo 2015 will certainly be used as an opportunity to showcase Italy’s contributions to theirachievement. In line with the “No Excuse 2015” Campaign, which testifies that the goals are realistic and achievable, Italy
therefore has an obligation to make sure all steps it takes between now and 2015 move in the direction of specific MDGs, like
Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger, and Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.
WHAT WE PROPOSE:
Ev-K2-CNR Committee, in collaboration with the City of Milan and the Municipal Commission for Mobility, Transportation andthe Environment, intends to help pave the way towards the 2015 Expo. With their SHARE program, Ev-K2-CNR are world
leaders in integrated environmental research and monitoring in mountain areas. By directly involving researchers,2With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations

scientific and public institutions and other stakeholders in discussions on the world’s major environmental challenges,
chances of improving environmental governance are greatly enhanced.
By raising awareness and sharing information on the effects of climate change on mountain ecosystems and resources,
significant progress can be made towards sustainable decision-making on issues such as development, biodiversity, foodsecurity and renewable energy. This can be achieved in the framework of a high level international scientific conference,
involving top researchers, concerned policy makers and the public in a milestone event on the road to 2015.
GOAL:
Contribute to the understanding of current and future climate change processes,, so as to predict possible environmental,
economic and social impacts, in particularparticular on agriculture, trade and the health and wellbeing of millions.
millions. By promoting
management-oriented research, driven by decision makers in line with local sustainable development needs, demonstrating
Italy’s commitment in this sense through the SHARE project and promoting dialogue and exchange amongst international
studies, networks and programs.
STRATEGY: By promoting management-oriented research, driven by decision makers in line with local sustainable
development needs.
ORGANIZERS: Ev-K2-CNR Committee; the City of Milan; CNR
FRAMEWORK: Expo 2015; the International Year of Planet Earth 2007-2009; the Global Mountain Partnership
TARGET AUDIENCE:AUDIENCE The conference will be mainly composed of representatives of the international scientific community,
along with contributions from government and intergovernmental agencies. Appropriate global media coverage will be key
to simultaneously help raise public awareness.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTICIPANTS: City of Milan; Milan Province; Lombardy Region; UNEP; FAO; WFP; the Global Mountain
Partnership; World Bank; ICIMOD; IPCC; EU Commission on the Environment. Participation of emerging non-G8 countries,
whose economies are heavily influenced by the effects of climate change on water resources and agriculture, isencouraged. Such countries include: China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Brazil and several countries on the African continent.
OUTCOMES: A publication summarizing the conference’s scientific and institutional contributions to conservation andsustainable management of fragile mountain ecosystems. The publication will be valuable for the scientific community,
local, regional and national decision makers, and international non-governmental organizations. This publication will bepresented at the 2009 G8 meeting.
DATE: 27-28 May 2009
LOCATION:LOCATION Milan, Italy
LANGUAGE: English
PARTICIPANTS: the world’s top experts in: Hydrology
 Climatology Atmospheric Sciences
 Environmental Sciences

Biodiversity
Ecosystem management
Agriculture
Economics

Glaciology
ModellingMedicine and Physiology
Renewable energy

LOCATION - Milano - Circolo della Stampa Palazzo Serbelloni
Corso Venezia, 16
20121 Milano
Tel. 02/76022671 - 02/76022712
Fax. 02/76009034
PATRONAGES:High patronage of the President of the Italian Republic
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Italian Ministry of Environment
Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research
Municipality of Milan
With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO

3With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations

POSSIBLE
POSSIBLE FORMAT:DAY I
OPENING REMARKS
Letizia Moratti
Chritophe Bouvier
Jaques Diouf
Surendra Shresta

Luciano Maiani
Agostino Da Polenza
Thomas Schaff
Leonard Barrie
Vladimir Ryabinin
Antonio Navarra

Mayor of Milan; Milan Expo 2015 Commissioner
Director of the UNEP-Regional Office for Europe
FAO General Director
Director Strategic Resource Mobilization/Special Initiatives UNEP
Italian Ministry of Environment
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and ResearchPresident of the Italian National Research Council (CNR)
Ev-K2-CNR Committee
Mountain Biospheres and Arid Zone Ecosystems, UNESCOWorld Meteorological Organization (WMO)
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change (CMCC)SESSION 1
Chair …………
Objective: illustrate the state of the art of environmental and climate research in mountain areas, considering in particular:
high altitude watersheds, glaciers and freshwater, weather-climate patterns and agriculture. Stocktaking of related local,
regional and global policies on development, global warming, energy, food security and health.

Invited speakers
ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE
V. Ramanathan
F. Giorgi
Georg Kaser
G.R. Carmichael
R. Maheswar
Toshio Koike
Brent Holben
WATER AND GLACIERS
Richard Armstrong
Martin Beniston
Michael Bishop
Daniel Viviroli
Mr. Anders Berntell
Stephan Isoard

Chair, Project ABC Science Team (Scripps Institution ofOceanography, University of California, San Diego, USA)
ICTP
IACS
UNEP
Lead Scientist for the Coordinated Energy and Water Cycle
Observations Project (CEOP)
NASA AERONET - Aerosol Robotic NETwork

National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado
University of Geneva - Research Group on Climatic Changeand Climate Impacts
Global Land Ice Monitoring from Space (GLIMS)
Hydrology Group, Institute of Geography, University ofBerneSIWI The Stockholm International Water InstituteEnvironmental European Agency

FOOD SECURITY
Madhoolika Agrawal
Gete Zeleke
Amadou Gaye
M. CentrittoPeter Trutmann

FAO
ABC-Agriculture Impact Study Group Environmental
Studies, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University
Coordinator, RUL for Africa, Global Mountain Program(GMP)
AMMA
IBAF-CNRThe Global Mountain Program (GMP) del Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

ENERGY

Amit Kumar
T S Panwar

ENI
EURAC
TERI
TERI

BIODIVERSITY
WWF-International4With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United NationsPeter Shadie
Riccardo Valentini
Christian Körner

Luigi Boitani
Barney Dickson

HEALTHMathros Ruchirawat
Roberto Bertollini
Bertollini
Alvaro A. Cruz
Alexander Baklanov

IUCN
Tuscia University
Department of Botany, University of Basilea/ Chair Global
Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) Scientific
Steering Committee
Università degli Studi La Sapienza
UNEP-WCMC Climate Change and Biodiversity

ABC –HEALTH CRI
Special Program Director, Environment and Health WHO
Global Alliance against chronic Respiratory Diseases(GARD) Environmental Health
MEGAPOLIECONOMY AND ADAPTATION STRATEGY
Sergio Castellari
IPCC National Focal Point (Euro-Mediterranean Center for
Climate Change - CMCC)
Carlo Carraro
Climate Impacts and Policy Division, CMCC
Shardul Agrawala
OECDG. Greenwood
MRIFederica Ranghieri
World Bank
Roberto Acosta
UNFCCC Adaptation strategies coordinatorInternational Human Dimensions Programme on Global
Environmental Change (IHDP)DAY IISESSION 2
Objective: Present the SHARE project - phase II and its scientific and technological contributions to increasing knowledge
on climate change and the environment to support sustainable decision making of governments on all levels.
Opening Session
The SHARE Project an Italian contribution to climate change studies
Italian Ministry of the Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini
UNEP – ROE Gaetano Leone
Round
Round Table: Environmental networks
Chair: Iyngararasan Mylvakanam (UNEP)PRESENTATIONS
Kenichi Ueno

Vladimir Ryabinin
Liisa Jalka
Jalkanen
INVITED COMMENTS

THE SHARE NETWORK and COLLABORATIONSAssociate Professor at Graduate School of Lifeand Environmental sciences, University ofTsukuba
UNEP Project ABC Science Team member;Research Director at ISAC-CNR
ISE –CNR
Physical Geography-Geomorphology at theUniversity of Milano Past President of the Italian
Glaciological Committee
ABCGEWEX/CEOPGAWOTHER NETWORKS

Terry Parr
Michael Mirtl
Georg Grabherr
Harald Pauli
Christoph Kueffer
Pavel Groisman
Bidya Banmali Pradhan
Guoxiong Wu
R. Roohi

ILTERILTERGLORIAGLORIA
Mountain Invasion Research Network (MIREN)NEESPIICIMOD
IAP, CAS
NARC/ PARC

Sandro Fuzzi
R. De Bernardi
Claudio Smiraglia

5With the technical cooperation of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations

SHARE project - phase II
SHARE phase II
Introduction
SHARE Research activities
SHARE technology

E. Vuillermoz

EvK2CNR Committee

P. Bonasoni
P. LaiLai

CNE-ISACCNRSSHARE Information SystemP. Sandei

UNEP

SHARE CAPACITY BUILDING

F. Salerno

CNR-ISE

Other Events:oPhoto Exhibit: "Mountains: resources for the Earth’s future - Twenty years of the Ev-K2-CNR Unit Research, fromLombardy to the Himalayas"oPresentation of SHARE-Everest 2008 expedition film, in collaboration with the City of Milan Commission forMobility, Transportation and the Environment6