The United Nations projects that almost all the world's population growth will occur in cities over the next 30 years. It's expected that as early as 2007, more than half the world's population will live in urban areas. This fast-paced urbanization is expected to pose significant challenges to conserving ecosystems and species while meeting human needs both inside and far beyond city boundaries.
Media are invited to attend the 4 day conference, held on the Columbia University campus at 116th and Broadway, New York City. Below are a few of the hundreds of planned presentations of local, national, and international interest that touch on urban challenges:
Environmental Citizen Suits - Help or Hindrance?
Citizen suits have been a bulwark of successful environmental activism in the U.S. for the past 30 years. With larger numbers of citizen suits being filed each year, agency funds that would otherwise be spent on implementing environmental laws are being diverted to pay for legal defense. Researchers report on the consequences of growing numbers of citizen suits and whether more litigation necessarily leads to better environmental outcomes.
The Status of Conservation Biology and Science in Iraq
Representatives from Coalition Provisional Authority and the U.S. State Department will discuss their efforts to address the biological, legal, and political aspects of environ
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Contact: Mary Tobin
mtobin@ldeo.columbia.edu
845-365-8607
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
12-Jul-2004