GeoProgress Global Forum (GGF) 2021 on: BUILDING THE I.E.F. - International Environment Fund. For a fair International Environmental System
This initiative - promoted since 2016 by the GeoProgress Journal, published by Geoprogress, a non-profit research organization - is focusing in 2020 and 2021 on some key issues for sustainable global development. Among these, the priority is undoubtedly to adjust and gradually rebalance the international environmental system and in particular where and how to find the financial means to promote this rebalancing. Additional key points are: the promotion of a sustainable development for all, coping with the unsustainability of the current economic development, which requires everywhere the research and dissemination of sounder technologies, but not least the search for alternative models of development. For this purpose Geoprogress intends to update the proposal to build the international Environment Fund (IEF) conceived as an international instrument for rebalancing and regulating the terrestrial ecosystem1. “The IEF would act as a compensation fund and regulator of environmental balance between nations, based upon a criterion of equity and international justice. This would be supplied by countries that are, environmentally speaking, debtors (essentially the industrialised nations) in proportion to their environmental deficit and per-capita income, and should finance the relevant projects and environmental policies of countries that are environmental creditors, in relation to their environmental surplus, to their per-capita income, and to their efforts in favour of protecting the environment for all humanity”.
The main actions planned towards this goal are:
1) Call for papers, useful for the construction and operation of the I.E.F (abstract by May 30, 2021)
2) Workshop for the discussion of the papers and of specific corrections-integrations to the original IEF proposal; definition of a new proposal to be submitted to national and international institutions ( by July 30, 2021);
3) Special Issue of the GeoProgress Journal, for publication (by October 30, 2021); of the scientific contributions, prior submission to referees, and other papers and results, as documents of the Workshop
4) International Conference at the European Union Parliament or at other international organizations, with the participation of MEPs and of representatives of governments from different countries (by October or November, 2021).
Call for papers
Assuming the motivations and the outline of the original proposal, as illustrated by F. Adamo in GeoProgress Journal, 2017, i.1. (http://www.geoprogress.eu/geoprogress-journal-vol-4-issue-1-2017/) the multiple knowledge required for the construction and operation of the I.E.F. - to which scholars and experts from various disciplines (from natural sciences to statistics, economics and finance, geography and law) are invited to contribute - should allow to obtain in particular:
1) an updated definition of the countries that are environmentally debtors and creditors, which should no longer be limited to CO2 emissions alone (an indicator that remains fundamental and whose acceptance would already be an important step forward): the emissions corresponding to the difference between imports and exports of tangible goods should be added. Particularly useful and appreciated would be papers on setting up the criteria for the distinction of countries and the amount of their respective environmental debts or credits, for the conversion of environmental debt into financial debt or in an annual amount of money to be paid to the IEF, for setting the maximum amount available from the IEF for the financing of projects for the protection and improvement of the natural environment, and projects for sustainable local development, for each creditor country; define virtuous behavior by debtor countries (for example emission reduction thresholds, reforestations) worthy of prizes that further incentivize them to improve their ecological conditions.
2) illustration and critical analysis of the current financial mechanisms used by ecologically debtor countries to accomplish their financial engagements in favor of our common environment, the amount of these engagements; the definition of which of the current known mechanisms and of other possible new ones are consistent with the ethic assumptions of the IEF and could be used as revenues to feed the International Environment Fund (IEF) by each type of country according to its socio-economic conditions. The mechanisms suggested in the original proposal of the IEF2 and others in use or that are expected to be valuable are the subject of the analysis. Referring to the financial mechanisms in use it would be useful to know in which countries they are employed and the amount of annual revenues that derives from them.
3) the redefinition of the organization and administration of the Fund, of the priorities of environmental problems and therefore: of the actions to be financed in the ecologically creditor countries, on projects presented by public and private or mixed subjects of the country concerned or in partnership or by international bodies; of the monitoring system3.
Geoprogress invites scholars and experts of various disciplines to contribute towards the above objectives and / or develop related themes, by sending to info@geoprogress.eu
a) scientific papers (max 16 pages in word, Times New Roman, 12): state-of-the-art research papers, original and quantitative studies that provide knowledge for the construction or operation of the IEF and anyway contribute to develop connected themes. These should be used as integration of the new IEF proposal and submitted to referees for publication as articles in a Special issue of the GeoProgress Journal on “Finance for a fair and healthy international environment system”
b) short papers (max 5 pages in word Times New Roman, 12): that suggest corrections/ integrations to the original IEF proposal.
Deadlines for sending the contributions
- by July 30, 2020 - Full text of the above short papers (b)
- by August 31, 2020 – Full text of the above scientific papers (a)
Workshop on:
The Protection Our Common Environment and the Proposal of the I.E.F. - International Environment Fund
September 10 , 2021
The Workshop is organized with the collaboration of the University Institute of European Studies and will be held in Turin, at this Institute, or online. It will be divided into 3-4 sessions, according to the main thematic areas referred to in the previous call for papers. The papers proposed by September 30 will be presented by the authors themselves or by the session coordinator, depending on their number and above all on how the meeting will take place (online or in a conference room). Coordinators will summarize the contents and above all highlight the differences, on which the discussion will focus so as to allow participants to select the contents of the technical-scientific document to be drawn up for the establishment of the IEF.
Confirmation of the organizational method will be given to all participants:
i.e. to all those who, by April 30, 2021, together with a short abstract of their contribution, will send for registration an e-mail to info@geoprogress.eu, indicating whether they also intend to be present at the Workshop, regardless of the way in which it will take place (in the conference room or videoconference), and indicating which of the two options they would prefer, in addition to providing Surname, Name, Home institution, Address.
Registration fee
For the partial coverage of costs, Geoprogress (non-profit organization) asks participants to contribute a donation of
a) € 50 for the workshop organization, if in Turin and € 00 if online,
b) € 50 for the publication of each scientific paper proposed, to be then subjected to double peer review for approval, and for other intervention to be published as document
To those who only intend to attend the workshop a free donation.
The fee should be paid, by August 30 and anyway after our confirmation of the form of the meeting, with Bank transfer to Geoprogress (Novara, via Perrone 18) at INTESA SAN PAOLO – Terzo Settore – Filiale 55000 Novara
