Rapid urbanization has taken place in the past two decades in many developing countries, especially in tropical and subtropical zones. Nowadays, over 50% of population in the world lives in urbanized regions which are the key places of production, consumption, and waste generation. Over 75% of energy consumption and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions of the world are concentrated in urbanized areas according to the United Nations statistics. Without careful planning and thoughtful management strategy, cities are facing many environmental problems. Urban ecosystem and health will be a new area for scientists and policy makers to understand the exchange and metabolisms of mass and energy, environmental risks and human health.

The GeoTrop conference series aims to bring together colleagues from tropical and subtropical countries to exchange and present new information and achievements on urban environmental pollution and related basic environmental chemistry and geochemical research. In the past few decades, urbanization has been a dominant anthropogenic influence on environmental quality in tropical countries and is increasingly challenging environmental tolerances and capacities. Water, air, and soil are suffering from these emerging challenges. Scientists have an important role to play in sustainable and healthy development in tropical cities.

GeoTrop 2010 Conference, the 6^th International Conference on Environmental Geochemistry in Tropics--Urban Issues,will focus on the fate and effect of persistent toxic substances, the biogeochemistry of nutrients, and the systematic analyses of urban metabolisms in tropical and subtropical urbanized regions.The conference welcomes presentations (oral and poster) on toxic metals, persistent organic pollutants, hydrological and hydrogeological issues, air, water, and soil pollution, estuarine and near-shore environments as well as more basic research on ecology, soil and sediment, and waters. Participation from non-tropical areas is welcome, where studies are relevant to tropical problems.

Proposed Symposiums include:
   1. Fate and effect of persistent toxic substances in soil-water-air continuum in tropical and subtropical urbanized regions;
   2. Nutrient biogeochemistry and water quality in tropical and subtropical urbanized regions;
   3. Systematic analysis of urban metabolisms in tropical and subtropical urbanized regions; and
   4. Other environmental geochemistry studies in tropical and subtropical regions.

English: The First Announcement      The Second Announcement

Chinese: The First Announcement      The Second Announcement