PEOPLE 2023 – Collaborative Solutions to Environmental Problems under Climate Change

We are delighted to announce that PEOPLE 2023 is calling for abstracts and proposals. We welcome you and your colleagues to join our PEOPLE 2023 International Conference - Collaborative Solutions to Environmental Problems under Climate Change on August 7-11 in Montreal, Canada.

This is also the 6th annual conference of the global Network on Persistent, Emerging and Organic Pollution in the Environment (PEOPLE Network), and co-hosted with Memorial University and the Concordia Institute of Water, Energy and Sustainable Systems of Concordia University, along with partners including the University of the Arctic, the International Water Association Young Water Professionals Canada (IWA-YWP Canada), and special issues from supporting Journals Environmental Systems Research (Springer Nature), Marine Pollution Bulletin (Elsevier), and Water (MDPI). The PEOPLE Network has more than 200 professional members, plus over 200 students, from over 30 institutions and 50 partners from private and public sectors and community groups in Canada and worldwide. It is the largest consortia of its kind dedicated to research, development and education on persistent, emerging and organic pollution by cross-nation, cross-institution, and cross-disciplinary approaches. It has been mainly funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

This event also welcomes scientists, regulators, practitioners, and community representatives who are interested in seeking and developing collaborative solutions to environmental programs from traditional to emerging ones worldwide under the changing climate. We are calling for collaborative efforts on research, development, education and engagement for improved knowledge and better solutions. “People create environmental problems, and our PEOPLE help find the solutions!”

Nowadays, the quality and sustainability of our environment have been increasingly compromised by traditional and emerging environmental issues associated with human activities. Climate change further complicates those issues and challenges us in finding better solutions. For example, a typical and continuing concern is the use and release of chemicals to the environment particularly including a group of persistent, emerging, and organic pollutants due to their toxic, carcinogenic, and/or bio-accumulative properties and the associated long-term ecological and health risks under a changing climate. There are pressing needs to gain better understanding of their sources, fate, transport, and effect, and have more prevention, control, and remediation methods to help the society achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

PEOPLE 2023 will continue to provide an international venue and bring together researchers and professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines in natural science and engineering, health, social science, and humanities, to present their achievements and innovations, spark ideas, share information, grow connections, and explore opportunities.

Conference themes:

| Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Planning
| Climate Change Modeling and Impact Assessment
| Emerging Contaminants - Fate, Transport and Effect
| Environmental Biotechnology and Nanotechnology
| Environmental Modeling and Decision Making
| Environmental Sustainability, Human Health and Ecotoxicology
| Inland and Marine Oil Spill Response
| Marine and Coastal Environmental Protection
| Waste Management and Minimization
| Water and Wastewater Treatment
| Water Resources and Water Quality Management

Special technical sessions:

| Chemicals of Emerging Arctic Concern: Sources and Environmental Fate
| Microplastics and Nanoplastics: Challenges and Advances in Characterization, Risk Assessment, and Management
| Impacts and Cleanup of Inland and Marine Oil Spills
| Challenges and Solutions for the Environmental Problems in Indigenous Communities
| Sustainable Transport, Logistics and the Environment
| Technology Development in Agricultural Waste Management
| Exposure Risk and Environmental Assessment of Persistent Organic Pollutants
| Infrastructure Systems and the Environment
| Environmentally Sustainable Management of Personal Protective Equipment Waste
| Exploring the Potential of Recycled Concrete Aggregate: Opportunities and Challenges
| Simulation on Risk Identification, Evaluation and Regulation of Emerging Contaminants

Call for Abstracts: We invite you to submit an abstract related to the above topics and beyond. The deadline for abstract submission is May 1, 5:00 pm Eastern Time (extended, closed).

Call for proposals: We invite you to propose and organize workshops on Day 1 or technical/special sessions during the conference (Days 2-4). The objective is to support professionals (especially students and early-career professionals) to learn topics of rising interest, engage in intensive discussion, and explore the topic from different perspectives. A workshop could include, but need not be limited to, introductory mini-courses, case study sessions, creation of collaborative projects, mentorship programs, career training sessions, and panel discussions on grant-writing or professional opportunities. A technical session should align with the themes/topics of the conference and consist of either oral presentations or panel discussions focusing on a specific topic. A max 2-page proposal is welcomed by using the Session/Workshop Proposal Template. You are also encouraged to discuss your ideas with the conference chair/co-chairs. The proposal submission is due on February 28, 2023 (closed).

Students Presentation Awards

Student presenters are eligible to compete in the best presentation competition. The awards aim to showcase the talents of students who conduct quality research. Awards will be given to oral and poster presenters. More details to be announced.

Hybrid Event

In-person sessions
We encourage you to attend the event in-person. The main body of the conference will be in-person and we are confident to deliver a dynamic, enriching and memorable event in Montreal. The in-person conference is not merely about exchange of information and ideas but also provides a unique opportunity to interact professionally, socially and educationally with the gathering of the environmental community and beyond. No virtual event can fully replace the face-to-face interactions in an in-person event. We will take all necessary measures to provide a safe, productive and enriching experience. However, if circumstances change, we will be ready to transition to a virtual event.

Virtual sessions
Going hybrid will allow people who will not be able to attend in-person to participate in PEOPLE 2023. This conference will include some unique webinar-style technical sessions. Virtual session attendees can join the online webinars at scheduled times to pose questions and interact with the presenters. In-person attendees will have access to the virtual sessions as well. The submitted abstracts for online presentations will undergo the same review process and meet the same quality standards as those of in-person sessions.