“Caspian Basin in Transition: Bridging Geosciences and Environmental Challenges 2024” Conference has started

The “Caspian Basin in Transition: Bridging Geosciences and Environmental Challenges 2024” conference, set to take place from June 3 to 6 at UFAZ, has officially started. This conference, which will last for a total of four days, is organized jointly by UFAZ, the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry, CASPISNET, EiGroup, and ARPA IB, with BP as the main sponsor. It offers a rich platform for discussing the main challenges in geosciences in a changing world.

Latifa Nasibova, the acting executive director of the French-Azerbaijani University, opened the event with a speech, stating that it is no coincidence that UFAZ is hosting such an international conference on the eve of COP29. UFAZ has always placed great importance on research and science alongside education. Vazeh Askerov, acting rector of the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry, emphasized that science and research have always been among the most prioritized areas for both ASOIU and UFAZ. The event also featured speeches from Arzu Javadova, SOCAR’s vice president, Akif Alizadeh, academician, the director of the Geology and Geophysics Institute, Nazim Abdullayev, BP representative, Damien Lemarchand, head of the Earth Sciences department at UFAZ Damien Lemarchand, Alexander Hedjazi, director of the Global Environmental Policy Program at the University of Geneva, Sassan Saatci, researcher at the California Institute of Technology, and others.

The conference on the Caspian Basin aims to present and discuss new approaches, methodologies, and data in geosciences in response to the challenges of energy transition. Special attention will be given to topics related to the Caspian Sea basin, including global issues during the transition period, exploration and sustainability of geo-resources, assessment and prevention of geo-hazards, and the resilience of natural and anthropogenic systems to global changes.

The conference, which includes both in-person and virtual presentations, features lectures, oral presentations, as well as the display of abstracts and posters. Out of 73 abstracts submitted for presentation, 42 were selected for oral presentations and 25 for poster displays. The four-day conference will also include roundtable discussions, field trips to mud volcanoes, informal dinner discussions, and networking activities. Additionally, topics related to sustainability and climate change to be discussed within the framework of COP29 will also be addressed.

The conference is set to cover four main themes, with speakers’ presentations focusing on these topics. The themes include “Exploring and Sustaining Georesources of the Caspian Basin,” “Geohazards Assessment and Prevention,” “Climate Change and Resilience in Transition Time,” and “Frontiers in Geosciences.” Participants from Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, South Africa, Italy, Finland, and Israel will attend the conference.

The main speakers of the conference, which will continue over four days, include Professor Gunay Cifci, Turkey’s representative for COST activities in Science and Technology, and professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology at the Dokuz Eylul University; Professor Lev Appelbaum of Tel Aviv University and honorary professor at ASOIU; Matteo Tarantino, assistant professor at the Catholic University of Milan; Jean-François Cretaux, representative of the Laboratory of Space Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies (LEGOS); Sohail Elabd, Director of International Research at the US Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI); Rodrigo Labardini, researcher at the Development and Diplomacy Institute of ADA University; and Sassan Saatchi, senior scientific researcher on Global Carbon Cycle and Ecosystem issues at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology.