On April 10 in Rome, the kick-off meeting officially started the new joint research project between the Environmental Legal Team of the University of Siena and the ENEL Foundation, in cooperation with Venice International University.

The research investigates the possibility of linking the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) with other existing Emission Trading Schemes and the New Market Mechanisms, focusing on "The Future of Carbon Trading Regulation in the Post-2012 International Climate Change Negotiations".

The fight against Climate Change is currently on top of the EU agenda. The EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is one of the most important tools for the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions. However, while the international community is experiencing a crisis in the climate change negotiations and there is scarce progress towards new compulsory GHG emission targets, domestic and regional ETS and other market based tools are proliferating worldwide.

On the one side, the research will look for ways of linking, through harmonization or coordination, the EU ETS with other existing domestic and regional Emission Trading Schemes, such as those adopted in Australia, California, China, etc. On the other side, it will evaluate the possibility of the coexistence of EU ETS (and possibly other relevant local ETS) with the New Market Mechanisms (NMMs).

The project will be conducted by the Environmental Legal Team, in partnership with ENEL Foundation and will be performed in cooperation with other high level academic partners operating at global level, such as VIU, Tsinghua University and MIT.

VIU, April 15-16, 2013

Design Management is the focus of a 2-day Advanced Training Course addressed to 11 professionals from Shanghai companies and creative districts who wish to acquire knowledge on the Italian design industry. The Agenda of the training includes presentations on Design Management, Green Design and a series of site visits to Berengo, Fortuny and Rubelli as examples of the perfect balance between tradition and innovation in design production.

In cooperation with Tongji University.

World Water Day is held annually since 1993 on 22 March as a means for focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Considering that 2013 is the International Year of Water Cooperation this year celebration will focus on the theme of cooperation around water. Venice International University, whose mission and activities are based on international cooperation and has a special interest on environmental issues, has decided to participate to the celebration promoting an interdisciplinary workshop on management, preservation and improvement of water resources within the Globalization Program semester devoted to Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Collegio Internazionale di Ca’ Foscari and the Cooperation and Development Division of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Further information on the event and the program are available at this link.

In the same week in which the United Nations celebrate the World Water Day, within the International Year of Water Cooperation, VIU and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has scheduled a training on “Water Pollution Prevention and Control”.

From March 17 to 28, the training will explore one of the most important, but often neglected, issues of sustainable development: the management, preservation and valorisation of water resources.

The course is designed to offer lectures on topics such as water pollution control and prevention policies in Europe and in Italy, instruments for water pollution monitoring, water basins management, and health issues related to water pollution. The agenda is also enriched by site visits to companies such as Thetis S.p.A., the Treviso Municipality treatment plant, Depuracque, Veritas S.p.A., SMAT S.p.a.

This training will conclude the 2012-2013 Training Program organized by Venice International University with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the framework of the Sino-Italian Advanced Training Program.

Further details can be found in the training course agenda at the Sustainable Development Community website.

More info on the TEN Center activities can be found at this link.