PEOPLE 2026 Virtual Conference

Welcome to PEOPLE 2026

The Persistent, Emerging, and Organic Pollution in the Environment (PEOPLE) Network warmly invites researchers, students, postdoctoral fellows, early-career professionals, policymakers, community members, Indigenous organizations, and industry partners to participate in the PEOPLE 2026 Virtual Conference: “Our Environment at Risk in Polar and Cold Regions: From Emerging Contamination to Collective Solutions under Climate Change”, taking place virtually from November 23-25, 2026. This event is jointly organized with the 2026 Atlantic Symposium of the Canadian Association on Water Quality (CAWQ).

Arctic, polar, sub-Arctic, and other cold-region environments are undergoing rapid environmental transformation driven by climate change, pollution, industrial development, and increasing human activities. These sensitive ecosystems face growing threats from microplastics, PFAS, hazardous substances, contaminant remobilization from snow, ice, and permafrost, as well as changing coastal and marine conditions. Addressing these interconnected environmental challenges requires innovative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, Indigenous knowledge integration, sustainable technologies, informed policy development, and collective global action.

PEOPLE 2026 aims to provide an inclusive and interdisciplinary platform for sharing research outcomes, innovative methodologies, monitoring technologies, modeling approaches, and practical solutions related to environmental pollution and climate challenges in northern and cold-region environments. The conference will foster scientific exchange, mentorship, networking, and collaborative partnerships among researchers, trainees, environmental professionals, communities, and organizations working toward sustainable environmental futures. While the conference particularly encourages participation from students and early-career researchers, submissions and participation are welcomed from all career stages and sectors worldwide.

We warmly welcome participants from around the world to join PEOPLE 2026 and contribute to advancing knowledge, collaboration, and sustainable solutions for Arctic, polar, and cold-region environments.

Conference themes include, but are not limited to:

• Cryosphere and climate interactions

• Pollution in snow, glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost

• Arctic shipping impacts and marine pollution

• Interpolar collaboration in environmental research and management

• Transport, fate and effect of emerging contaminants

• Water and wastewater treatment and management for sustainable communities and industries

• Environmental assessment and innovation for renewable energy development

• Ice modeling and interaction with contaminants

• Oil spill response and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) management

• Environmental surveillance, sampling, analysis and modeling

• Ecotoxicological and human health impacts

• Pollution prevention, treatment, and remediation technologies

• Sustainable infrastructure and low-carbon technologies

• Date science and artificial intelligence for environmental research

• Environmental policy, governance, and science-to-policy integration

• Indigenous knowledge in environmental research

• Community-based environmental solutions

• Environmental stewardship in polar and cold regions

Presentation formats:

Oral Presentations

• 12-minute presentation + 3-minute Q&A

• Live virtual sessions and discussion opportunities

Poster Presentations

• Real-time online interactive poster sessions

• Networking and collaboration opportunities worldwide

Call for Abstracts

PEOPLE 2026 abstract submission portal is now open. We invite you to submit an abstract by October 30, 2026.