Global Environmental Change : Challenges to Science and Society in Southeastern Europe

This book is the outcome of the conference Global Environmental Change: Challenges to Science and Society in Southeastern Europe organized by the Scienti c Coordination Center for Global Change (SCCGC) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences jointly with the Austrian Science and Research Liaison Of cesLjubljanaandSo a(ASO).TheeventwassupportedbytheFederalMinistry ofScienceandResearchoftheRepublicofAustriaintheframeworkofitsSEEs- encecooperationinitiative.SponsorshipwasalsoprovidedfromtheKnight-Staneva Foundation for Sustainability and Future Environments (USA) and the EC FP6 ADAGIOproject(www.adagio-eu.org). The Conference celebrated the anniversary of the founding of the SCCGC in 1997asNationalCoordinationCenterforGlobalChange(NCCGC).Theideafor suchacenterevolvedattheJune1997Workshop GlobalChangeandBulgaria heldintheAmericanUniversityinBulgaria, Blagoevgrad, sponsoredbytheUS National Science Foundation via the Center for Integrated Regional Assessment (CIRA) at the Pennsylvania State University. In examining the competencies Bulgarian scientists would bring to the study of climate change and its impacts, thatworkshopidenti edanumberofresearchprioritiesandfuturestrategiestobe pursued. The workshop resulted in two publications, Globalnite promeni i 1 2 B lgari andGlobalChangeandBulgaria. Themostimportantfuturestrategyfromthe1997Workshopwastheproposalto theleadershipoftheBulgarianAcademyofSciencesforformationoftheNCCGC, withtherecommendationthatitbeheadedbyAcademicianDimitarMishev, dir- toroftheAcademy sSolar-TerrestrialIn uencesLaboratory, andmembershipfrom avarietyofinstitutesandotherorganizations.InJuly1997, theNCCGCcameinto being and operated under that title until the death of its president, Academician Mishev, in2003. 1 1999.So a: NationalCoordinationCenterforGlobalChange, BulgarianAcademyofSciences, 370 pp. (Todor Hristov, C. Gregory Knight, Dimitar Mishev, Marieta P. Staneva, editors; in Bulgarian).ISBN954-90485-1-9. 2 2000.So a: NationalCoordinationCenterforGlobalChange, BulgarianAcademyofSciences, 350+viiipp.(MarietaP.Staneva, C.GregoryKnight, TodorN.Hristov, DimitarMishev, editors). ISBN954-90485-2-7. v vi Preface Duringthatinterim, oneoftheresearchprioritieswasinitiated, namelyastudy ofthe1982 1994Bulgariandroughtasananalogoffutureclimatechange, realized asaprojectcoordinatedinBulgariabyProfessorIvanRaevoftheForestResearch InstituteandintheUSbyC.GregoryKnightofthePennsylvaniaStateUniversity, withfundingfromtheUSNationalScienceFoundationviaCIRA.Thatprojectalso resultedintwobooks, Zasuxavaneto v B lgari: s vremenen analog za 3 klimatiqni promeni and Drought in Bulgaria: A Contemporary Analog of 4 ClimateChange. The NCCGC played an important role in the creation of the Industrial TransformationSciencePlanoftheInternationalHumanDimensionsProgramme in1998 1999.TheCentrealsoco-sponsoredaworkshoponIntegratedRegional Assessment of Climate Change held in Budapest in 1999 and hosted the So a workshoponHumanDimensionsofGlobalChangein2000."

This book comprises selected papers presented during the International Conference "Global Environmental Change: Challenges for Science and Society in South-Eastern Europe" held 19-21 May 2008 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The conference goal was to assess recent knowledge on global environmental change and related impacts in countries of the Balkan and neighboring southeastern European region. The focus on this region is due to the present sensitivity to global change and the anticipated increased sensitivity in the future.

The intention of this volume is to provide an updated summary of the Conference presentations which are aimed at a wide audience of readers including, university teachers, researchers, decision-makers of different administrative units, managers of relevant companies.

"Global Environmental Change: Challenges for Science and Society in South-Eastern Europe" begins with and Introduction and four keynote chapters giving a more general perspective of the conference topics. The chapters encompass results from studies on climate change, land use change, changes in the carbon and water cycles, air quality, etc. Beyond the work of scientists and actions of governments, civil society has a major stake in dealing with environmental changes including actions to address, resulting impacts and to exploit new opportunities.