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5th Braunschweig Quality infrastructure Days

On Tuesday 20 May and Wednesday 21 May 2014

Subject: Environment, absolute!


"Braunschweig QI Days" is the central event of PTB's Technical Cooperation Department when it comes to issues relating to development policy. "QI" (short for "Quality Infrastructure") is the core subject of PTB's technical assistance on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and other international donors. Quality Infrastructure includes the system of standardisation, technical regulations and conformity assessment (accreditation, metrology, testing, certification).

"Braunschweig QI Days" provides a German-speaking exchange platform for stakeholders from the fields of quality infrastructure, development cooperation science and politics. Discussions focused on the defined subject are a stimulus for future tasks and cooperations within the scope of technical cooperation. Our previous meetings addressed the following subjects: Trade (2006), Food Safety (2007), Energy (2009), and Health (2011).

 

Core topic in 2014

The environmental aspect of sustainable development can be scientifically delimited by means of absolute biophysical factors. Within these limits, there is room for safe activities for humans. If these human activities, however, cause damage and go beyond those limits, sudden and irreversible global environmental changes become very probable and may have drastic consequences for social and economic development. In 2009, an international group of scientists headed by Johan Röckström coined the term "planetary boundaries" and formulated biophysical limits in nine different areas for the international community. What we know today seems to suggest that these thresholds have already been crossed in three of these areas: climate change, biodiversity and nitrogen input into the biosphere. Further areas identified by the researchers were the stratospheric ozone layer, changes in land use, water use, ocean acidification, phosphor input into the biosphere and the seas as well as pollution caused by aerosol loading and chemicals.

"Braunschweig QI Days" will present the concept of "planetary boundaries" and look for its implications for a quality infrastructure in developing countries and countries in transition.


Tuesday, 20 May 2014: afternoon. Opening speech and laboratory visits at PTB.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014: all day. Conference programme with presentations and discussions.

We are looking forward to an active exchange of ideas with you!

 

Organisation

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
Sabine Thomas
Bundesallee 100
38116 Braunschweig

Phone: 0531 592-8209
Fax: 0531 592-8225
E-Mail: qi-tage(at)ptb.de