“Challenges of

the Climate Change”

Welcome Remarks from the Technical Program Chairs

It is a great pleasure to host our first International Workshop on the “Challenges of the Climate Change” organized by the Engineering Center for Care of Earth (ECCE) at the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC in collaboration with Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy. This will take place November 16, 2017 in the Pryzbyla Center in the Great Room

Our workshop will cover the Challenges of the Climate Change from the following perspectives:

Evidence of climate change: effects and causes
Environmental sustainability and adaptation
Urban resilience
Climate change economic, law and policy
Energy transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy
Clean energy and sustainable reconversion
Monitoring techniques on a global scale (e.g. vegetation, soil, ocean health)
Policy strategies around the world
Tools and standards for sustainability

We have three keynote speeches, and eleven speakers from industry, government and academia to address what is arguably the most important challenge our civilization is facing today: Global Climate Change. Our experts have testified before congress, are certified to train public on climate change reality by the former Vice President, Mr. Al Gore, and have actually addressed the challenge within the context of some major environmental projects. They are at the frontiers of this challenge.

We need everyone involved in this issue; not just prominent scientists, engineers and leaders who you will meet at our workshop. It is a matter that affects us all. Especially at Catholic University, it is our responsibility as our tradition is ethical and responsible thinking to generate solutions for the well being of humanity. We are guided by the Holy Father Francis’ Laudato Si as we take on this challenge; “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.”

We hope that you will find the workshop energizing, invigorating and compelling to take action within your expertise and interests after our workshop. We will be concluding with a panel discussion for our future direction.

“The Challenges of Climate Change” is the first workshop of the Engineering Center for Care of Earth (ECCE) of School of Engineering at The Catholic University of America (CUA). ECCE, which is Latin for ‘behold’ or ‘see,’ was established in 2016 with the motivation to behold the world around us and see clearly the effects, both positive and negative, that technology has on our planet, and on our relationship with it and with one another. ECCE aims to bring together faculty and students from the various departments of the CUA School of Engineering whose interests and expertise relate directly to the various challenges described by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’. The initiative was received very well as indicated in the letter CUA received from the Vatican on November 30, 2016.

The workshop focuses on new and more effective technologies that enhance productivity and profit for private industries; decrease costs for citizens and public bodies; and have a lower impact in terms of carbon emissions with the ultimate goal of achieving global clean energy technology performance breakthroughs and cost reductions. Moreover, actions aimed at increasing resilience of urban environment will be addressed.

We would also kindly ask you to reserve your calendar for our next event, which we plan on the anniversary of Laudato Si, which will be held May 23-24, 2019.

Our speakers and their abstracts

Workshop information and schedule