UNESCO Conference on Ethics of Energy Technologies:

UNESCO Conference on Ethics of Energy Technologies:



Energy Flow, Environment and Ethical Implications for Meat Production (Working Group 13)



CALL FOR REGISTRATION




Date: Thursday, 24 July 2008

Time: 09:00 to 16:00

Location: United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS)

6F Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato Mirai

Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan

www.ias.unu.edu/





The objectives of the Conference shall be to discuss the topic from a holistic perspective, and to set the agenda for the Working Group (members are welcome). There will be a series of background presentations followed by detailed discussion of the areas for further focus in the working group sessions.



Meat, as a food, is a form of energy for humans, however in order to produce enough meat to satisfy global demand huge reserves of energy are required in the form of feed, fertilizers, pharmaceutical production, transport and refrigeration. This conference will examine the consumption of energy, particularly fossil fuels, in the meat production industry, and ethical implications for humans and the environment.



For further information on the overall project please examine the regularly updated working group webpages on the website, http://www.unescobkk.org/index.php?id=energyethics, and contact Dr. Darryl Macer, Regional Advisor in Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific, Regional Unit in Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific (RUSHSAP) at UNESCO Bangkok on +66(0) 2391 0577, extension 147 or email rushsap@unescobkk.org.



There is also a yahoo group, unesco_eet@yahoogroups.com



The objectives of the conference include:



· Providing a forum for exchanging views on diverse perspectives on ethical issues;

· Framing the debate in an ethical framework by identifying and clarifying the values at stake and providing ethical reasons for alternative choices; and

· Identifying areas for further research and consideration and different policy options.



The Working Group will especially focus on industrialized meat production, and examine:

1. Energy requirements in agriculture, with a focus on energy requirements for industrialized meat production and consumption by sector.

2. The economics of meat production

3. The materials used in the feeds for land-based, sea-based, and lagoon-based industrialized meat production.

4. The oversight infrastructure for industrialized meat production by country, by sector.

5. Water over-consumption and water pollution through industrialized meat production (input to Working Group 14 on water ethics).

6. Land degradation and deforestation, and biodiversity loss.

7. Production and release of multi-antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

8. The use and release of synthetic and natural hormones.

9. The accumulation of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants in the food chain and in soil and sediments.

10. The direct effects on climate change by meat production and meat consumption.

11. The changes caused in local communities by industrialized meat production.

12. The potential for causing regional and global infectious disease pandemics through industrialized meat production.



Speakers include:



· Ayoub Abu-Dayyeh, Society of Energy Conservation and Sustainable Environment, Jordan

· Robert Kanaly, Yokohama City University, Japan (Chair of the Working Group)

· Darryl Macer, UNESCO Bangkok, New Zealand

· D. Nesy, University of Kerala, India

· Sivandam Panneersevalm, University of Madras, India

· Keisuke Tachiyama, Kyoto University, Japan

· Atsushi Tajima, University of Tsukuba, Japan



Further speakers are encouraged to submit proposals to contributing to the dialogue and objectives above. Presentations that are accepted will be 15 minutes each followed by discussion.



You are welcome to register as a participant or speaker for this conference, and there is no charge for registration. Please note that due to logistical constraints, the number of participants is limited. The language will be English.



For any inquiries relating to any of the above, please contact rushsap@unescobkk.org.