On June 29 and 30, the International Conference on Climate Change and Coral Reef Conservation (organized by the Ministry of Environment and Okinawa Prefecture with the support of OIST and the University of the Ryukyus) was held at the OIST campus. From left in the first row: Rajendra K.Pachauri (IPPC Chair/India), Nobuteru Ishihara (Minister of the Environment), Mariyam Shakeela (Minister of Environment and Energy/ Maldives), Kurayoshi Takara (Vice Governor of Okinawa Prefecture). From left in the second row: Rika Hiraki (NPO Japan Ecotourism Society member/Japan), Hajime Oshiro (President of the University of the Ryukyus/Japan), Andrew Skeat (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park General Manager/Australia), Shiro Wakui (Professor at the Faculty of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University), Eriko Imai (Member of popular music group SPEED), Jonathan M. Dorfan (President of OIST)