| From the Chair
The Third World Congress will be held at the Kyoto International Conference Hall in 2006. The facility where the Congress will be held is most famously the site of the 3rd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP3) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that produced the Kyoto Protocol. The Congress is organized by the Japanese Association of Environmental Economists (called the Society of Environmental Economics and Policy Studies: SEEPS), The Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) and the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) , in cooperation with the Latin American and Caribbean Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (ALEAR). About 1000 people attended the second World Congress in Monterey in 2002, and we are hoping for similar attendance at Kyoto. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1000 years, and remains the center of Japanese culture and history, an amazing blend of modern convenience with ancient tradition. A myriad of temples, shrines, natural beauty, old architecture, traditional arts and crafts can be found in Kyoto. The historical monuments of ancient Kyoto have been recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage sites. The Kyoto International Conference Hall is located in the north of Kyoto city. The journey from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto Station by the Kansai Airport Express train "Haruka" takes around 75 minutes. From Kyoto Station, Kyoto International Conference Hall is merely a 20-minute ride on the Subway Karasuma Line. Kyoto has a wide variety of accommodations, from Western-style hotels to traditional Japanese-style inns. The city has more than 20,000 guest rooms and accommodations can be found to suit all tastes and budgets. The web site for the Congress has been opened at which information
about the Congress can be obtained and registration will be able
to be completed. Please visit http://www.worldcongress3.org for further information. In
addition to the usual array of conference sessions, symposia and
invited keynote speeches, the Congress organizers are considering
adding some special events such as short courses covering particular
areas of interest or perhaps mini-conferences on more specialized
topics. These would be held just before or after the Congress. Suggestions
for special activities that could enrich the intellectual fare at
the Congress are welcome. Takamitsu SAWA
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