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The “Caspian Basin in Transition: Bridging Geosciences and Environmental Challenges 2024” conference has started on June 3 at UFAZ. This conference is organized jointly by the Azerbaijani-French University (UFAZ), the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU), CASPISNET, EiGroup, and ARPA IB, with bp as the main sponsor. 

At the opening ceremony of the conference, Associate Professor Vazeh Asgarov, Acting Rector of ASOIU, Latifa Nasibova, Acting Executive Director of UFAZ,  and Damien Lemarchand, head of the Earth Sciences department at UFAZ emphasized the significance of UFAZ hosting such a major international conference as the country prepares for COP 29. The event featured speeches from Arzu Javadova, SOCAR Vice President, Akif Alizadeh, academician, the director of the Geology and Geophysics Institute, Nazim Abdullayev, bp representative, Alexander Hedjazi, director of the Global Environmental Policy Program at the University of Geneva, Sassan Saatci, researcher at the California Institute of Technology, and others. They highlighted that the conference aims to present and discuss new approaches, methodologies, and data in earth sciences in response to the challenges of the energy transition in the Caspian Basin.

The conference on the Caspian Basin aims to present and discuss new approaches, methodologies, and data in geosciences in response to the challenges of energy transition. Special attention will be given to topics related to the Caspian Sea basin, including global issues during the transition period, exploration and sustainability of geo-resources, assessment and prevention of geo-hazards, and the resilience of natural and anthropogenic systems to global changes.

The conference, which includes both in-person and virtual presentations, features lectures, oral presentations, as well as the display of abstracts and posters. Out of 73 abstracts submitted for presentation, 42 were selected for oral presentations and 25 for poster displays. The four-day conference will also include roundtable discussions, field trips to mud volcanoes, informal dinner discussions, and networking activities. Additionally, topics related to sustainability and climate change to be discussed within the framework of COP29 will also be addressed.

The conference is set to cover four main themes, with speakers’ presentations focusing on these topics. The themes include “Exploring and Sustaining Georesources of the Caspian Basin,” “Geohazards Assessment and Prevention,” “Climate Change and Resilience in Transition Time,” and “Frontiers in Geosciences.” Participants from Azerbaijan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, South Africa, Italy, Finland, and Israel will attend the conference.

The main speakers of the conference, which will continue over four days, include Professor Gunay Cifci, Turkey’s representative for COST activities in Science and Technology, and professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences and Technology at the Dokuz Eylul University; Professor Lev Appelbaum of Tel Aviv University and honorary professor at ASOIU; Matteo Tarantino, assistant professor at the Catholic University of Milan; Jean-François Cretaux, representative of the Laboratory of Space Geophysical and Oceanographic Studies (LEGOS); Sohail Elabd, Director of International Research at the US Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI); Rodrigo Labardini, researcher at the Development and Diplomacy Institute of ADA University; and Sassan Saatchi, senior scientific researcher on Global Carbon Cycle and Ecosystem issues at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology.