THE OPEN COURSE IN CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE GREEN TRANSITION PROVOKED THE INTEREST OF STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS
27 February 2023
The open course in Climate Changes and the Green Transition was held yesterday at Varna Free University and provoked huge interest. Rumen Pehlivanov, PhD - Mayor of Rudozem Municipality, who last year defended Bulgaria's first educational and scientific degree "Doctor" in the field of the circular economy, a delegate from Bulgaria to the Committee of the Regions based in Brussels and a full member (with right to vote) in the Monitoring Committee in the INTERREG VI-A Greece-Bulgaria 2021-2027 programme and Assoc. Prof. Ivanka Bankova, PhD - a long-time lecturer at VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" with scientific interests in the field of environmental protection, environmental management and sustainable territorial development were the speakers.
Students from various specialties at Varna Free University, as well as those working in the field of ecology, actively participated in the practical-applied discussions. Various topics related to climate change and environmental protection, assessment of ecological situations and ecological risk from various types of activity; the analysis of the state and degree of pollution of the environmental components; the possibilities for solving environmental problems were commented on.
Dr. Pehlivanov shared examples from his rich professional experience and expressed the opinion that our country, Europe and the world are in a new situation, with new conditions provoked by climate change. "There is a need for a global consensus on the subject, based on scientific evidence, to be secured by all countries and to lead to long-term planning and action." He emphasized the leading role of science and education as the primary source of solutions related to the changing environment.
The global, regional and local effects of climate change, the impact of climate change on infrastructure planning and the development of settlements in Bulgaria and a specific manifestation of climate change on various sectors of the economy were also discussed.
At the end of the training, participants rated the topics and organization as excellent. Here are some of the shared opinions:
► The lecturers showed the ability to hold the audience's interest, interestingly presenting scientific research combined with examples from practice.
► Exciting course delivery, responsiveness, good attitude.
► I liked the practical orientation of the training and the abundance of examples, as well as the opportunity to ask questions.
