Natural resources are vital for human life and prosperity. Fundamental human needs of shelter, sanitation, good nutrition and education, all require a sustainable supply of energy, minerals, and water. How are we, the human race, going to provide the necessities for a global population anticipated to reach 9 billion by 2050, let alone achieving the standard of living that many expect?
The #RFG2018 Conference will be a pivotal event for the many organizations, individuals and communities, all working to understand, provide and manage natural resources. The conference will attract an unprecedented group of scientists, policy makers, engineers and members of civil society to Vancouver, B.C. on June 16-21, 2018.
|
|
More than 200 volunteers and staff from over 30 technical organizations are working on diverse aspects of the event. A comprehensive program is developing dedicated to understanding the earth processes that control the distribution and clean extraction of resources – energy, minerals, and water, and examining the critical roles of indigenous people, local communities, policy makers and others engaged in resource-based societal issues.
Young leaders working in all areas, from understanding the earth to the supply and stewardship of resources, are vital to the process of cooperation and discussion across disciplines. The conference will also face outward, developing and delivering educational programs and materials to a wide audience.
Several thousand participants from around the globe will come together in Vancouver to innovate, build strategies and identify gaps in our knowledge base in order to meet the needs of future generations.
|
|
#RFG2018 supports the Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs)
adopted by the United Nations for 2030.
|
|
|
|
The chairs of #RFG2018 core themes are building on a great foundation of already submitted sessions, but there is room for more to complete the range and depth of topics covered. Here’s a current sampling of what’s in store for #RFG2018.
|
|
|
Resources and Society
- Exploration and Mining in the 21st Century – From Responsible to Sustainable
- The role of governments and geological surveys
- Clean Energy Resource Development Opportunities for Indigenous Peoples with
Benefits to Larger Society
- Geoethics and Environmental and Social Responsibility – A Context for Developing Resources for Future Generations
- Blueprints for a Greener Footprint – Landscape-Scale Planning for Sustainable Development
|
|
|
|
Energy
- Energy Futures – Renewable and non-renewable
- Nuclear Energy – The future and sources of fuels
- Geothermal Energy in the 21st Century
- The oil and gas industry in Canada
|
|
|
Minerals
- Infrastructure Metals – What controls the distribution of the major deposits
- Footprints of Giant Orebodies – Mineralogical, Spectral and Geochemical vectors to Discovery
- Energy & Technology Metals
- Geometallurgy – The value chain approach for mineral resources
|
|
|
|
Water
- Groundwater and Mineral Resources
- Groundwater and the Water-Energy-Food-Climate Nexus
- Hydrogeochemistry – Environment and Exploration
- Water in mining
|
|
|
The Earth
- Earth Evolution
- Multiple scale systems
- Metals in magmatic and hydrothermal systems
- Recent geological applications of Radar Interferometry (InSAR)
|
|
|
PARTNERS IN THE FIELD
________
|
|
Technical partner Canadian International Resources and Development Institute (CIRDI) is involved in several initiatives worldwide focused on Resources and Society. A highlight is their current program in Peru which demonstrates the need for integrated approaches to water, mining and local communities.
Education and Research for Integrated Water Resources Management in Peru
|
|
|
|
Ancash Region, Peru/FERNANDO LEON.
|
|
The Challenge
Although Peru is a water-rich country, mountain ranges separate the country’s inland Amazonian water supply from the people and economic activity on the coast. Increasing population growth, climate change and a legacy of unregulated water use contribute to a growing urgency for a coordinated national strategy to manage this precious resource.
Project Focus
CIRDI responded to a request from the Peruvian government to contribute to the integrated management of Peru’s water and mining resources with a targeted project that:
- Increases education for governments and communities.
- Builds research capacity for data collection and analysis in communities and local universities.
- Supports the development of integrated processes, programs and policies.
|
|
|
Project Components
Citizen Participation in Environmental Monitoring
In October 2016, CIRDI worked with Peruvian partners to bring together 200 participants from industry, government and civil society to support citizen participation in environmental monitoring in Peru’s mining regions.
Gender, Water and Mining
In February 2017, 180 people attended a Gender, Water and Mining conference co-hosted by CIRDI to raise awareness of the role of women in Peruvian mining-related water resource management. Read CIRDI CEO’s reflections.
Integrated Water Resources Management Certificate
In partnership with Peruvian universities CIRDI is developing course materials for a certificate program in integrated water resources management.
Cerro Verde Case Study
The project has also produced a case study of the Cerro Verde mine’s development of a wastewater treatment plant in Arequipa, Peru, which illustrates how a collaborative approach can create an innovative solution to a business need, a community issue and an environmental challenge – and ultimately how mining can contribute to sustainable development.
|
|
|
Cerro Verde Case Study
This case study of the Cerro Verde mine’s development of a wastewater treatment plant in Arequipa, Peru illustrates how a collaborative approach can create an innovative solution to a business need, a community issue and an environmental challenge – and ultimately how mining can contribute to sustainable development.
|
|
|
Kicking off the RFG2018 Gems, we spotlight an article on the General Chair, John Thompson – deemed a ‘rock star’ by Canadian Mining and Energy Magazine.
|
|
Rock Star:
John Thompson
John F. H. Thompson works hard to bridge the gap between academia and industry and share his passion for the stories rocks tell.
- by Jessica Kirby, as first published in
miningandenergy.ca
READ MORE...
|
|
|
TOP #RFG2018 INFLUENCERS
________
|
|
RFG2018 will be held on the ancestral, traditional andunceded Aboriginal territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, and in particular, the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
|
|
Recommendations for good reads related to supplying Resources for Future Generations - books that inspire discussion, new ideas and solutions for a better world.
|
|
The Elements of Power: Gadgets, Guns, and the Struggle for a Sustainable Future in the Rare Metal Age
by David B. Abraham (2015)
"Our future hinges on a set of elements that few of us have even heard of. In this surprising and revealing book, David S. Abraham unveils what rare metals are and why our electronic gadgets, the most powerful armies, and indeed the fate of our planet depend on them. These metals have become the building blocks of modern society; their properties are now essential for nearly all our electronic, military, and “green” technologies. But their growing use is not without environmental, economic, and geopolitical consequences."
|
|
|
Have you submitted a session already or have a story to tell?
Contact the editor with your contribution.
|
|
Got this email from a colleague and would like to stay in the loop on all RFG2018 updates?
SIGN UP
|
|
|
Spread the word, join the #RFG2018 discussion.
|
|
|
|
