Dear Colleagues,
We are delighted to invite you to participate in the PEOPLE 2025 International Conference “Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Sustainability under Climate Change“. This event is jointly organized with the 2025 Atlantic Symposium of the Canadian Association on Water Quality (CAWQ). Please join us in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, from July 21-25, 2025.
Environmental sustainability is among the most critical and challenging tasks facing researchers, engineers, policymakers, and community leaders worldwide. Within the context of global climate change, the effective protection and management of our environment require advanced scientific knowledge, innovative technologies, informed decision-making, proactive policies and regulations, improved environmental performance and practices, etc. Climate change aggravates these challenges, necessitating more creative and holistic thinking, collaborative research and development, cross-disciplinary approaches, and eco-friendly practices. Addressing environmental issues, from urban and rural settings to terrestrial and marine ecosystems, requires innovative and collaborative efforts and solutions for sustainable development, thereby creating resilient environments capable of combating climate change and promoting a balanced relationship between humans and nature.
This conference will offer an international platform for researchers and professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines, including natural sciences, engineering, health, social sciences, and humanities. The event aims to showcase achievements and innovations, spark new ideas, share valuable information, build connections, and explore collaborative opportunities. It will bring together environmental professionals, practitioners, regulators, researchers, students, and stakeholders globally to develop effective strategies for and sustainable solutions to environmental challenges in a rapidly changing climate. We welcome abstracts on a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:
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Air pollution modelling and control
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Arctic and cold regions
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Biodiversity conservation
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Circular economy and life cycle analysis
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Climate change, renewable energy systems and emission reduction
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Environmental research by/with/for communities and Indigenous people
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Data analysis & artificial intelligence (AI)
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Ecotoxicology and human health
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Education & training
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Emerging contaminant fate, transport, and effects
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Environmental impact assessment and risk analysis
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Environmental modeling and decision making
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Environmental policy and regulations
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Environmental technology transfer and case studies
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Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS)
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Innovative environmental technologies
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Marine and coastal environmental protection
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Oil spill response and remediation
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Permafrost thaw and environmental impact
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Resource recovery and management
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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
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Waste management and minimization
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Water and wastewater treatment
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Water quality management & drinking water safety
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Water resources engineering and management
The global Network on Persistent, Emerging and Organic Pollution in the Environment (PEOPLE Network) proudly hosts this event as the leading organizer. With over 600 members, including researchers, professionals, and students from more than 40 institutions and 50 partner organizations, the PEOPLE Network represents various academia, private and public sectors, and community groups in Canada and worldwide. Through cross-disciplinary, cross-institutional, and international collaboration, the Network aims to address the pressing issues of chemical emissions and their impacts on the environment and human health. With the funding support from the NSERC CREATE, the network has also contributed to training over 100 next-generation researchers and professionals in the field.
We cordially invite you to submit abstracts by February 28, 2025. We also welcome proposals for special sessions by January 24, 2025. The templates of abstract and session proposal are available on the conference website. All attendees are encouraged to actively engage in pre-conference workshops and conference sessions and field trips, as your contributions are vital to advancing our collective understanding and strategies for environmental sustainability. Students will participate in the student presentation award competition. The selected abstracts will be invited for special issues in the partner journals.
We look forward to welcoming you to the PEOPLE 2025 in St. John’s, a beautiful city with over 1,000 years of rich history and culture on the east coast of Canada!
Warm Regards,
Dr. Bing Chen | PEng, FCAE, FEIC, FCSCE, MEASA
Director, PEOPLE Network
Professor & UArctic Research Chair, Memorial University, Canada
Guihua Dong | Ph.D.
Program Coordinator, NSERC PEOPLE CREATE Program & PEOPLE Network
NRPOP Laboratory, Memorial University
