Global climate change amasses billions of dollars per year in damages affecting everyone from American farmers to Asian industrialists, say international climate experts who will gather Monday, April 19, through Wednesday, April 21, at California's state capitol building for a conference on energy generation and environmental planning. The energy conference, co-sponsored by the University of California, Davis, involves experts from Europe, Asia and the United States. Scientists at the meeting will discuss new methods of using energy and also will advise legislators on deregulation, privatization and liberalization of the power industry. "This conference is an important step in continuing interdisciplinary discussions about climate change among experts," says Ruth Reck, director of the UC Davis-based National Institute for Global Environmental Change, and a professor of land, air and water resources. "We have a global responsibility to address environmental change issues, and energy plays a key role in both the problem and its possible solutions." Those attending the Sacramento meeting will hear presentations on topics including energy planning models, econometric computer programs, technological advances in bio-gassification and fuel cells. On the meeting's third day, Wednesday, some conference attendees will travel to Northern California locations that use energy-generation technology. The conference is co-sponsored by NIGEC, the U.S. energy department, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the California Energy Commission and Tulane University. It is one in a series, the first of which took place in Denmark, and the next of which are tentatively scheduled for Asia and the Baltic. Conference sessions are open to the public. Certain related events have a small fee for attendance; inquire at the conference registration desk at the Sacramento Hyatt Hotel. For more information, contact Melissa Gibson, NIGEC, (530) 757-3085, mrgibson@ucdavis.edu.