Cancún to Host Climate Change Colloquium With Experts From Mexico, Guatemala and New York

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Climate change, biodiversity loss and the future of the Mexican Caribbean’s coral reefs will top the agenda when the 16th National Colloquium of the Mexican Culture Seminar (SCM) convenes in Cancún on Oct. 22 and 23.

The two-day program brings together researchers and specialists from Mexico, Guatemala and New York for lectures, panel discussions, artistic activities and music. Admission is free.

Scientists to Tackle Climate and Biodiversity

Biologist Julia Carabias, a researcher at UNAM (the National Autonomous University of Mexico), will deliver the keynote address, titled “Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Social Wellbeing.”

Lorenzo Álvarez-Filip, also a UNAM researcher, will speak on the importance of the Mexican Caribbean’s reefs and their relationship with society.

Sargassum and the Circular Economy

On Thursday, Oct. 22, writer Silvia Molina, secretary general of the SCM, will moderate a dialogue on sargassum. Researchers Susana Enríquez Domínguez and Daddhiat Asbel Itzamé Mares Paris will discuss the massive seaweed influxes and their effects, and examine ways to put the biomass to use through circular and blue economy models.

In the afternoon, architect Felipe Leal, president of the seminar’s board, will moderate a discussion on sustainable development featuring experiences from different regions of the country.

The day closes with a lecture titled “Cancún, an Unlikely City” by chronicler Fernando Martí and a performance of the play “Lux, Echoes of Fire.”

Water, Oceans and Conservation on Day Two

Friday, Oct. 23 opens with a talk on changes in the geological past, extinctions and rebirths, delivered by geophysics specialist Gerardo Suárez Reynoso of the SCM.

Laura Margarita Hernández Terrones of the Universidad del Caribe will then speak on water in a lecture titled “Water, Sap of This Land.”

The program also includes discussions on deforestation, global warming and the conservation of green spaces, along with environmental education, bioethics and energy. Representatives of the seminar’s regional offices in cities across Mexico and Guatemala will take part.

In the afternoon, Ana Barahona and Lilia María Gama Campillo will join a dialogue titled “Oceans and Biodiversity Facing Climate Change,” examining links between evolution, climate and biodiversity and the future of coastal zones.

Music and Theater Round Out the Program

Cellist Carlos Prieto will present “Two Careers, One Life” and perform a recital. The Municipal Chamber Orchestra will pay tribute to composer Manuel M. Ponce, and Jorge Pedro Uribe will deliver the closing summary.

Events will be held mainly at the Teatro de la Ciudad and the Foro Hirán Sánchez, located in the theater’s Caja Negra space.