SETAC workshop on global climate change and environmental toxicology

Much of the discussion regarding impacts of global climate change (GCC) on society and ecosystems has taken place within the scientific community focused on regional and global climatic and hydrological systems. Recent international research projects have also focused on GCC impacts on ecosystems, in combination with other environmental pressures such as land-use change and eutrophication. However, the potential interactions between GCC and environmental pollutants has so far received little attention. To address this knowledge gap, a 5-days workshop is planned to be held in USA in 2011, in collaboration with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). The applicant of this proposal is a member of workshop's Steering Committee. To our k nowledge, no other workshops have yet occurred whereby the expertise, relevance and perspective of environmental toxicologists and chemists have been a rich part of the GCC discussion. The Steering Committee will invite ca. 35 participants from different sectors (academia, government, industry) and from various countries. The workshop will contain 2 phases: (1) "Foundations", which will focus on GCC impacts as a function of the scientific foundations of environmental toxicology and chemistry, and (2) "App lications", which will develop recommendations for incorporating the findings of the Foundation phase into exposure, effects and recovery assessments that play central roles in regulatory and management frameworks. A series of articles is planned for publ ication in a SETAC journal. The Steering Committee is responsible for raising funding to cover all costs of the workshop and resulting publications. In this application I have therefore asked for funding to cover a reasonable proportion of the total works hop budget, and a part of the expenses for my own participation. I intend to disseminate results from the workshop to end-users in Norway and to the EEA, in contact with the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency.