The National Forum on Climate, Energy and Transport Poverty Brought Together Scientists, Representatives of Institutions, Business Community, Media and Civil Sector
The UNWE, the Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute and the Institute for Economic Research /IER/ at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences /BAS/ organized a scientific and public forum on the Climate Change and Its Impact on Vulnerable Population Groups which was held at the UNWE.
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The Forum brought together scientists, representatives from institutions, the business community, the media and the civil sector. Students were also invited to present their video projects in relation to the celebration of the World Glacier Day, World Water Day and the World Meteorological Day.
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| Prof. Dr. Hristina Nikolova, Head of the Economics of Transport and Energy Department, Corr.- Member Prof. D.Sc. Ekaterina Bachvarova, Director of the Institute for International Economic and Cultural Relations /IIECR/, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Stoyanova, Vice Rector for Institutional and Business Cooperation and Student Policies |
The Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov officially opened the event, emphasizing that this forum brings together diverse individuals from various institutions with different professional interests, and that its objective for them is to complement and assist one another in generating ideas that benefit society. Ideas that policymakers can draw upon. He addressed to the students wishing them success and encouraging them to “kindle the fire of knowledge within themselves”.
“It is no coincidence that this forum is held on the World Glacier Day, Water Day and Meteorology Day. At previous celebrations we were together again and organized exhibitions and competitions but this year we decided to invite students to a video contest, and today we will see their works”, said Corr.-Member Prof. D.Sc. Ekaterina Bachvarova, Director of the Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute /CAWRI-BAS/. She emphasized that the cooperation with the UNWE is extremely important for the CAWRI-BAS, and a joint, highly successful Master’s programme was established as a result of the memorandum signed three years ago.
The Vice Rector for Institutional and Business Cooperation and Student Policies Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Stoyanova proposed expanding the joint initiative by signing a new memorandum. “Following the success of the Master’s programme and the successful work on the ACTETS2 project - Energy and Transport Poverty in the Context of ETS2r - we believe that together we can work productively in various areas. This will benefit both our students and scientific research, as well as the society.”
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Prof. Dr. Hristina Nikolova, Head of the Economics of Transport and Energy Department, greeted them and expressed the view that the cooperation with the Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research Institute and the Institute for Economic Research has always been fruitful as they share common themes and interests. “The future lies in cooperation. We have so many points of contact and we see that our joint work gives very good results. Today’s memorandum reaffirms once again our intentions for fruitful work and will reinforce our successes in the fields of science and education”, said Prof. Dr. Hristina Nikolova. She explained that the main objective of the forum is to create a platform for dialogue between the science, the institutions and the society as well as to encourage the development of solutions for sustainable development and better protection of vulnerable population groups.
After the official opening a session entitled Meeting of Generations: Science, Media, Business and Art for Nature was held, moderated by Assist. Tanya Sarafsky /CAWRI-BAS/ and attended by representatives from various sectors of society, journalists and artists. Pupils from Acad. Lyubomir Chakalov National High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, No. 170 Vasil Levsky Secondary School in Novi Iskar, and the Balchik Maritime Club presented their exceptionally interesting video materials on the Glaciers, Water and Meteorology. The presentations and videos provoked a lively discussion regarding the climate changes - which no one disputes anymore — and their future consequences.
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The next panel presented the project Analysis and Assessment of the Impact of Climate Hazards and the Expanded Emissions Trading Scheme in Buildings and Transport /ETS2/ on Vulnerable, Energy-Poor and Transport-Poor Population Groups in Bulgaria /ACTETS2/.” The project is being implemented by the Climate, Atmosphere, and Water Research Institute at BAS in partnership with the UNWE and the Institute for Economic Research at BAS. The Head of the research team is Corr.-Member Prof. D.Sc. Ekaterina Bachvarova and the UNWE is represented by Prof. Dr. Hristina Nikolova (researcher and Project Head) and Eng. Marta Klisurova /Ph.D. candidate/ - both from the Economics of Transport and Energy Department.
The presentations analyzed the impact of climate risks on energy and transport poverty in the context of the expanded European Emissions Trading Scheme /ETS2/. Scholars, business representatives and civil society organizations spoke on the topic, provoking an expert discussion on the impact of climate risks on energy, transport and water poverty.
“The main objective of the project is to generate new interdisciplinary and socially oriented scientific knowledge for Bulgaria regarding the impact of climate change and the Emissions Trading System /ETS2/ on vulnerable social groups and households experiencing energy and transport poverty”, said Eng. Marta Klisurova /Ph.D. candidate/, while Prof. Dr. Hristina Nikolova summarized that the project’s results would serve as a scientific basis for more equitable and sustainable policies for energy- and transport-poor population groups by incorporating climate hazards into national impact assessments.
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