International Symposium on Ice in a Sustainable Society (ISS)

The International Symposium on Ice in a Sustainable Society (ISS) will take place in Bilbao, Basque Country from 5-10 June 2022. This one-week event organized by the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) and the International Glaciological Society (IGS) will focus on the interrelations of ice in all its forms with the formal, natural, applied and social sciences, and the humanities. 

The ISS Symposium will attract experts in climate, engineering, environment, policy, economy, philosophy, arts and other specialties that will join forces to seek inter- and transdisciplinary solutions for sustainable development and climate change awareness. 

Participants wishing to present their works at the symposium may submit an abstract by 18 March 2022 (this is a hard deadline that will not be extended).

Participants who wish to benefit from the early registration prices must register before 25 March 2022. The deadline for guaranteeing hotel rooms reserved for symposium attendees is also on 25 March 2022.
We also have grants* available to fund accommodation and/or registration fees for a limited number of early career researchers (students and early postdocs) up to and including 30 years old.
*Full or partial grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. 

Keynote speakers
Confirmed keynote speakers:

  • Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Co-Chair of IPCC AR6 WGI and CEA Senior Scientist at the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement.
  • Alexandre Anesio, Professor in Arctic Biogeochemistry at the Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University.
  • Catherine Ritz, 2020 Seligman Crystal Award winner, CNRS Senior Researcher at the Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement.
  • Michael Bravo, Convenor of Circumpolar History and Public Policy Research, and Histories, Cultures, Environments, Peoples, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge.

Publication
The Council of the International Glaciological Society has decided to publish a thematic issue of the Annals of Glaciology on topics consistent with the Symposium themes. Participants are encouraged to submit manuscripts for this Annals volume (paper submission deadline: 1 September 2022). 

Venue & Programme 
The ISS Symposium will be held at Bizkaia Aretoa, Conference Auditorium, Bilbao (Spain). The main sessions of the Symposium will take place from Monday morning, 6 June, until the afternoon of Friday 10 June. On World Environment Day, Sunday 5 June, there will be several celebration activities and a pre-symposium icebreaker event in the late afternoon at Bizkaia Aretoa. Different Social Events are scheduled throughout the Symposium, including excursions to different locations in the Basque Country and the traditional symposium banquet at the Guggenheim Museum (see Social events & Excursions).

Pre-symposium workshop
There will be a pre-symposium Glaciology-Humanities online workshop “Moving Ice” on Glaciology’s responsibilities to society and the role of ice in modern culture and society taking place on 5 April (for 4 hours in the afternoon, Central European Time). The link to register for the pre-symposium workshop will be available soon at the Symposium’s local website.

Come and attend* what will be a stimulating, innovative and productive symposium in a beautiful setting in the north coast of Spain! 
*Required and recommended COVID-19 prevention measures will be followed during all ISS-related activities and remote participation options are also offered. 

By the Local Organizing Committee of the ISS Symposium