Environment, Energy and Economy in the Black Sea Region
14-16 September 2023, Constanţa, Romania
The Center for Governance and Culture in Europe (GCE-HSG) at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland organizes a conference "Environment, Energy and Economy in the Black Sea Region" in Constanţa, Romania, 14-16 September 2023. The rich and complex history of the Black Sea Region is very much entangled with struggles and conflicts over its resources and with empires and nation-states' efforts to manage them. Even currently, international energy, grain, and transportation crises caused by the Russian war on Ukraine are closely connected to the Black Sea. In addition to the obvious energy and economic instability, the war creates numerous ecological challenges and is extremely harmful to the environment. These events and threats in the region create a growing demand for platforms for multidisciplinary analysis and expertise. By examining the region's past and present through various lenses, including politics, governance, economics, social justice, and technology, the conference will contribute to a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the region's development. Constanţa, the venue of the event, is an outstanding location for a discussion about the environment, energy, and economy in the region. The city, a former capital of the historical border region Dobruja, has one of the biggest ports on the Black Sea and entered the Danube–Black Sea Canal, a large-scale navigable artificial watercourse
Venue: Museum of National History and Archaeology, 12 Piața Ovidiu, Constanța
The full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, which began on February 24, 2022, has had devastating and sometimes catastrophic consequences for the environment in many parts of Ukraine, leading not only to extensive pollution but also to widespread physical destruction of landscapes and ecosystems. In this talk, Victor Karamushka will present a comprehensive and differentiated assessment of the types of environmental damage that occurred during the war. He will also discuss preliminary plans and thinking for how disturbed ecosystems can be restored. Finally, Victor Karamushka, a native of southern Ukraine, will pay special attention in his talk to the consequences for the environment caused by the military activities in the regions of Southern Ukraine adjusted to the Black Sea.
Victor Karamushka is Associate Professor and Head of the Environmental Studies Department of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. His areas of research are in environmental microbiology and biotechnology, environmental policy and management, and ecosystem evolution under anthropogenic impact and climate change. He is the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific and educational publications. Victor Karamushka has been engaged in numerous international environmental cooperation programs, working with UNEP, UNDP, the European Commission and various technical assistance programs of European governments. Since the start of the war, he has been leading efforts to assess the environmental impact of the Russian invasion on Ukraine.
Venue: Museum of National History and Archaeology, 12 Piața Ovidiu, Constanța
Spotlight is the one-week-long, on-site summer school that was held in 2022 (Opole) and 2023 (Budapest). It was dedicated to exploring the potential of documentary filmmaking in social science research and the dissemination of research results. Offering innovative, practice-oriented knowledge to students, the workshop empowered them with a skill they can use in their future research or dissemination.
During the public screening, the summer school coordinators Karina Gaibulina (Luxembourg) and Ágnes Erőss (Hungary/Poland), will present 6 short documentary movies prepared by the summer school participants. Afterward, a discussion on the potential of audiovisuality in border studies and in social sciences will be held.
