Green Marble 2023 is an international scientific meeting focused on the theme “Ecotourism and Ecotravel in the Anthropocene”. We specifically seek to address and discuss how ecotourism, understood as a form of tourism that involves responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment and improving the well-being of the local population, can contribute to a good Anthropocene, the one where we become able to use the unprecedented collective power to act in/on the planet we acquire in a balanced and fair way.

Argument

In 2000, the atmospheric chemist Paul Crutzen and the limnologist Eugene Stoermer formulated the well-known Anthropocene hypothesis, according to which the natural history of the Earth entered a new chapter characterized by the harmful or disturbing impact of human activities on the dynamics of the planet. Earth System at all times. scales, including the global (Crutzen & Stoermer, 2000).

Later, a consensus emerged that this impact began to become evident during the Industrial Age (1800-1945), but only acquired planetary extension in the period of the so-called Great Acceleration (1945-ca. 2015), during which critical parameters of the functioning of the Earth System and the socioeconomic indicators that contribute significantly to affect it began to increase in an extraordinary, continuous and almost simultaneous way (Steffen, Crutzen and McNeill, 2007).

One of these socioeconomic indicators of anthropogenic action with geosystemic impact is that of International Tourism, which went from 25 million international visitors to a country (spending at least one night there) in 1950 to an impressive 1.2 billion in 2015 (Amelung et al., 2016).

This increase of about 50 times made International Tourism a planetary phenomenon and one of the largest industries in the world, generating, in 2015, 10% of global GDP, 1 in every 11 jobs, 7% of all exports and 30% of services exports (Amelung et. al., 2016).

In this, commercial aviation obviously played a key role, which, in just one generation, made flights of thousands of kilometers common in many developed countries for holidays or weekends, helping to transform the way we travel and experience our planet.

As predictable, International Tourism has a strong ecoclimatic impact and substantial consequences for geoenvironmental sustainability. These, however, remain underexplored (e.g., Gren & Huijbens, 2016), particularly in countries where the tourism sector has become strategic for its development, as is the case of Portugal, particularly after the Covid pandemic. -19 (not officially finalized yet).

This motivated us to launch this call for participation in the Green Marble 2023 under the theme “Ecotourism and Ecotravel in the Anthropocene”. In it, we specifically seek to address and discuss how Ecotourism, understood as a form of tourism that involves responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment and improving the well-being of the local population, can contribute to a good Anthropocene, the one where we become able to use the unprecedented collective power to act in/on the planet we acquire in a balanced and fair way (Dalby, 2016).

Examples of topics that fall within the scope of this scientific meeting include:

• What is the role of ecotourism and green travel in addressing anthropocenic climate, ecological and environmental challenges?
• How can ecotourism and green travel be integrated into environmental conservation, development and sustainability policies?
• How did ecotravel change the way we experience nature and interact with it in the Anthropocene?
• What role do governments, tour operators and travelers play in promoting sustainable ecotourism and ecotravel practices in the Anthropocene?
• What are the consequences and ethical implications for responsible ecotourism and ecotravel practices in the Anthropocene?
• What are examples of successful ecotourism and ecotravel initiatives in the Anthropocene and how can they be replicated in other destinations?
• How do ecotourism and ecotravel contribute to awareness and education about environmental issues and conservation in the Anthropocene?
• What are the benefits and challenges of ecotourism in the Anthropocene for local communities and ecosystems?
• What are the future trends in ecotourism and ecotravel and how can they be improved to ensure sustainability in the Anthropocene?
• What is the relationship between ecotourism, ecotravel and preservation and cultural and environmental heritage?
• How does Ecocriticism contribute to understanding the role of ecotourism and ecotravel in shaping our relationship with the natural world in the Anthropocene?
• How do ecocritical approaches inform our experiences of ecotourism, ecotravel, and the natural world in the Anthropocene?
• What ecocritical themes and ecocritical strategies are used to critique ecotourism, ecotravel and their impact on the environment?
• How does Ecocriticism contribute to environmental activism and conservation efforts through its approaches to ecotourism and green travel?
• What are the ethical implications of ecocritical approaches to ecotourism, ecotravel and the natural environment?

Therefore, we invite all researchers and scholars interested in the topic to submit proposals in English or Portuguese for participation in the Green Marble 2023.

References: Amelung, B., Student, J. Nicholls, S., Lamers, M., Baggio, R., Boavida-Portugal, I., Johnson, P., Jong, E., Hofstede, G., Pons, M., Steiger, R. & Balbi, S. (2016). The value of agent-based modelling for assessing tourism–environment interactions in the Anthropocene. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 23, pp. 46-53; Crutzen, P. & Stoermer, E. (2000). The “Anthropocene”. Global Change Newsletter, 41, pp. 17-18; Dalby, S. (2016). Framing the Anthropocene: The good, the bad and the ugly. The Anthropocene Review, 3(1), 33–51; Gren, M. & Huijbens, E. (2016). Tourism and the Anthropocene. Taylor and Francis; Steffen, Crutzen e McNeill (2007) – The Anthropocene: are humans now overwhelming the great forces of nature? Ambio, 36(8), pp. 614-621.

Submission guidelines

Submission of communication proposals in Portuguese or English

send to the following email address: greenmarblemeeting@protonmail.com

until March 31, 2023.

• abstract, between 200 and 300 words
• short biography of the author(s), including current institutional affiliation(s), between 100 and 150 words
• only one proposal is accepted by (first) author

Notification of acceptance/rejection of communication proposals until April 15, 2023

GM2023 registration

• registration fee: €200 (includes: full access to scientific sessions, book of abstracts, meeting documents, speaker certificate, digital book with the meeting presentations)
• bank account for payment:
• ACCOUNT: INfAST ASSOCIAÇÃO 
• IBAN: PT50 0035 0385 00007440 230 54
• BIC: CGDIPTPL 
• BANK: CGD LAMAÇÃES, Av. Dr. António Alves Palha 79, 4715-091 Braga
• proof of bank payment is required (receipt will only be sent after)
• after April 30: €300
• cancellation policy: for all cancellations requested before May 31, 2023, a full refund of amounts paid will be made (minus €50 processing costs); refund will be made after the meeting; after May 31, 2023 it will not be possible to accept cancellation requests

Registration: April 16 to 30, 2023

GM2023 final programme announcement until May 15, 2023

GM 2023 dates : June 1 to 3, 2023

Submission of papers to be published in the book with the meeting`s communications

send to the following email address: greenmarblemeeting@protonmail.com

until July 31, 2023.

general instructions: document in WORD format, Times New Roman font, between 5,000 and 10,000 words (see guidelines and template)

only papers with positive evaluation from at least two reviewers will be published

Notification of acceptance/rejection of papers to be published in the book with the meeting`s communications : until September 15, 2023

Exhibition “Art and Climate Change”

Parallel to the talk sessions, the exhibition “Art and Climate Change” will take place, curated by Isabel Ponce de Leão and Maria do Carmo Mendes.

Everyone who works in the arts, whether visual, performing or literary, is well aware of the tremendous challenges we face globally. However, when the future of life on Earth seems to be in jeopardy, artists are not only expected to give expression to their aesthetic creativity, but also that with their works they manage to involve themselves and us actively and collectively with the planet, drawing public attention and causing the public to experience structures and processes that threaten human and non-human livelihoods on Earth, if not Earth itself.

This was the challenge launched to the various artists participating in the exhibition: how can they aesthetically represent anthropogenic climate disturbances, gutted, emptied, contaminated natural spaces, mutilated landscapes, obliterated biodiversity, environmental injustices, etc.? And what sustainable and unsustainable futures can they make us imagine with their art? In short, what responses do they give, from their field of intervention, to human interference in the functioning of the Earth System, or simply, at all scales, including the global one, known as the great challenge of the Anthropocene?

Promotor

INfAST-Institute for Anthropocene Studies

Organizadores

• João Ribeiro Mendes,
• Isabel Ponce de Leão,
• Maria do Carmo Mendes,
• Rui Paes Mendes

Scientific committee

• Alexandre Túlio Amaral Nascimento, Departamento de Engenharia Aplicada e Tecnologias Ambientais e Observatório de Políticas Públicas pela Sustentablidade, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil
• António Bento Gonçalves, Departamento de Geografia e Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Sociedade, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
• António Gaspar Cunha, Departamento de Engenharia de Polímeros, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
• Carmen Diego Gonçalves, Instituto de Sociologia e Departamento de Física e Astronomia, Universidade do Porto, Centro de Investigação em Estudos Regionais e Locais, Universidade da Madeira, Portugal
• Cláudia Toriz Ramos, Departamento de Ciência Política e do Comportamento, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Centro de Literaturas e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
• Dionísio Vila Maior, Departamento de Humanidades, Universidade Aberta, Centro de Literaturas e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
• Isabel Ponce de Leão, Departamento de Ciências Empresariais e da Comunicação, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Centro de Literaturas e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa, Institute for Anthropocene Studies, Portugal
• João Ribeiro Mendes, Departamento de Filosofia, Instituto de Letras e Ciências Humanas, Universidade do Minho, Institute for Anthropocene Studies, Portugal
• Maria do Carmo Mendes, Departamento de Estudos Portugueses e Lusófonos, Instituto de Letras e Ciências Humanas, Universidade do Minho, Centro de Literaturas e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa, Institute for Anthropocene Studies, Portugal
• Maria Teresa do Nascimento, Faculdade de Artes e Humanidades e Centro de Investigação em Estudos Regionais e Locais, Universidade da Madeira, Portugal
• Orfeu Bertolami , Departamento de Astronomia e Física e Centro de Física do Porto, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
• Renato Henriques, Departamento de Ciências da Terra e Instituto de Ciências da Terra, Escola de Ciências, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
• Richard Sťahel, Instituto de Filosofia da Academia de Ciências da Eslováquia Eslováquia
• Rui Paes Mendes, Câmara Municipal de Baião e Centro de Estudos de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
• Sérgio Lira, Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development e Centro de Literaturas e Culturas Lusófonas e Europeias, Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
• Sofia de Melo Araújo, Escola Superior de Educação do Instituto Politécnico do Porto e Centre for English, Translation and Anglo-Portuguese Studies da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, Portugal