Climate change: from the geologic past to the uncertain future : A tribute to André Berger

26 to 29 May 2008 - Louvain-la-Neuve University – Belgium

André Berger is one of the world's leading experts in Quaternary climate change who has made major contributions to the astronomical theory of palaeoclimates. André Berger is Honorary President of the European Geosciences Union. This four-day symposium in honour of André Berger's retirement will host 100 palaeoclimatologists from around the world.

What causes glacial-interglacial cycles?

This not so anodinous question has been inspiring André Berger's research for over 35 years.  André Berger has been  a key character in the world of past and future climate modelling since his 1978 publication of an algorithm still used today to calculate the changes in the Earth orbit that trigger glacial-interglacial cycles. With the help of his team in Louvain-la-Neuve, he never stopped delivering world-leading research on the astronomical theory of palaeoclimates. Today he retires, and this event is celebrated with a symposium entitled "Climate change: from the geologic past to the uncertain future".

Around 100 scientists worldwide including some of the most authoritative experts on quaternary climatic changes, past climates reconstruction and climate modelling are awaited in Louvain-la-Neuve in May 2008 to summarise the state-of-the-art on some of the most intriguing and outstanding questions about the astronomical theory of palaeoclimates : What are the mechanisms of glacial-interglacial cycles ?  When and why did they regime change ? Would they occur in absence of orbital forcing? What do we learn from recent marine, ice core and terrestrial records?  Can we predict climate on long time scales? When will the next glacial inception occur? Do past and future greenhouse gas emissions have long-term consequences?