The conference will bring together the best experts from the fields of Futures Studies, Climate Change and Sustainable Development and let the scientific community to interact with policymakers and representatives of companies. By developing images of alternative futures, the goal of the conference is to present current academic research and give new viewpoints and novel ideas to decision-makers to assist them towards more feasible decisions for sustainable development.

Keynote Speakers:
• Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Chairman of IPCC:
“Climate Change & Sustainable Development: Challenges & Opportunities”
• President Tarja Halonen, Co-chair of UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability:
“The Rights and Responsibilities of People in Sustainable Development after 2015”
• Prof. Ying Chen, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences:
“China’s climate policy and low carbon development”
• Dr. Louis Lebel, Unit for Social and Environmental Research, Chiang Mai University:
“The politics of uncertainty and adaptation to climate change”
• Prof. Sohail Inayatullah, Graduate Institute of Futures Studies, Tamkang University:
“The Practice of foresight: what works (and what doesn’t)”
• Prof. Joyeeta Gupta, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam:
“Climate governance in the context of environment and development governance”

Working Groups:

Total 107 academic abstracts have been approved to be presented in the conference working groups:
• WG 1: Forests and Climate Change: from Global Trends to Local Landscapes
• WG 2: Institutional Analysis and Energy Transitions
• WG 3: North-South Research Collaborations – For Whom and For What?
• WG 4: Climate Change and Corporate Actions
• WG 5: Arctic Futures 2033 – Opportunities and Threats for Sustainability
• WG 6: Climate Change Mitigation Opportunities in Rural Futures
• WG 7: Climate Governance in the South: Policies and Politics in Mitigation and Adaptation A
• WG 8: Climate Governance in the South: Policies and Politics in Mitigation and Adaptation B
• WG 9: Urban Adaptation in a Changing Climate
• WG 10: Urban Sustainability
• WG 11: Reasons and Implications of Climate Change
• WG 12: Methodological and Theoretical Perspectives to Climate Change and Futures Studies

This conference is part of the first international Future Infinite Conference, consisting of two parallel series of lectures. The academic part will take place on 11-12 June with the title "Sustainable Futures in a Changing Climate – Future Infinite Academic". All the academic participants are most welcome to join the second part of the event "Future Infinite", targeted on corporate leaders and decision-makers. On Friday 13 June, the Future Pitches section of the conference will be held. In this part of the programme, partner companies will share their perspectives on the future. In addition, best entries to the Everyday Innovations of the Future competition for students will be showcased at the conference.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions concerning the academic part of the conference!

With kind regards,
The Organizing Committee, Future Infinite Academic
futuresconference@utu.fi
www.futureinfinite.fi
The Future Infinite event is organized by Messukeskus and Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku.
Business publication Kauppalehti is the conference's key media partner and its marketing partner is the communications agency Miltton.