The UBC Climate Change Research Symposium brought together, virtually, climate researchers from multiple faculties on our Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.
While UBC is a recognized leader in climate change research, there is limited connectivity between the clusters of relevant research activity across the many faculties on our campuses. This symposium, which featured panel discussions and keynote speakers, will help to make those connections and enhance the potential of UBC researchers to impact climate change through research and innovation.
The symposium, held on October 13 &14, was primarily intended for the UBC research community, but all were welcome to attend.
On December 5, 2019, the UBC Board of Governors endorsed UBC’s pronouncement of a climate emergency. For more information on UBC’s climate emergency engagement process, please visit: https://climateemergency.ubc.ca/.
Acknowledgments: The Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation would like to thank the Co-Chairs of the UBC Climate Change Research Symposium Steering Committee, Dr. Sally Aitken and Dr. Mark MacLachlan, and the members of the Steering Committee, for their scientific and strategic leadership throughout the planning of this event: Dr. Philip Ainslie, Dr. Phil Barker, Dr. Simon Donner, Dr. Walter Mérida, Dr. Gail Murphy, Dr. Rashid Sumaila, Dr. Adam Wei, Dr. Kate Weinberger, Dr. Rachel White, and Dr. Stepan Wood.
We recognize that this symposium is a single step in connecting climate change research areas at UBC. Following the symposium, we will conduct an online consultation to hear your thoughts on the most effective next steps for advancing climate change research at UBC.
Schedule
Day 1: Wednesday, October 13
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10:45 am – 11 am Welcome and introductory remarks |
Dr. Gail Murphy, Vice-President, Research & Innovation Dr. Phil Barker, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation |
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11 am – 12 pm How do we get to a net-zero energy system? |
Chair: Dr. Phil Barker, Vice-Principal and Associate Vice-President, Research and Innovation
Dr. Kathryn Harrison, Professor, Department of Political Science Dr. Kasun Hewage, Professor, School of Engineering (Okanagan) Dr. Milind Kandlikar, Professor and Director, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs Dr. Hadi Dowlatabadi, Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability |
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12 pm - 1pm KEYNOTE:Breaking the Energy/ Climate Change Logjam |
Chair: Dr. James Olson, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science
Dr. David Wilkinson, Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering |
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1 pm - 2 pm How do we create the social climate for change? |
Chair: Dr. George Hoberg, Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Associate Faculty, Department of Political Science
Dr. Gregory Garrard, Professor, Environmental Humanities (Okanagan) Dr. Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability Dr. Shannon Hagerman, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management Dr. James Tansey, Associate Professor and Executive Director, Centre for Social Innovation & Impact Investing, Sauder School of Business |
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2 pm – 3 pm How can we protect ecosystems from climate change? |
Chair: Dr. Sally Otto, Professor, Department of Zoology
Dr. Adam Wei, Professor, Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences (Okanagan) Dr. William Cheung, Professor and Director, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Dr. Mary O’Connor, Professor, Department of Zoology Dr. Amy Angert, Professor, Department of Botany |
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3 pm – 4 pm How does climate change impact food security? |
Chair: Dr. Jörg Bohlmann, Professor, Michael Smith Laboratories, Department of Botany, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences
Dr. Cara Haney, Associate Professor, Microbiology and Immunology Dr. Loren Rieseberg, Professor Botany and Director, Biodiversity Research Centre Dr. Hannah Wittman, Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, and Professor, Faculty of Land and Food Systems Dr. Miranda Hart, Professor, Department of Biology (Okanagan) |
Presentation videos from Day 1
Day 2: Thursday, October 14th, 2021
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10:45 am – 11 am Welcome and introductory remarks |
Chair: Dr. Mark MacLachlan, Professor, Department of Chemistry |
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11 am – 12 pm How can society adapt to climate change? |
Chair: Dr. Rashid Sumaila, Professor and Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Dr. Walter Mérida, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Kate Weinberger, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Dr. Mark Johnson, Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability Dr. Danielle Ignace, Assistant Professor, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences |
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12 pm - 1pm KEYNOTEHousing Justice in the Fire Zone - the Case of Paradise |
Chair: Dr. Gage Averill, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Arts
Naomi Klein, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, UBC Professor of Climate Justice |
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1 pm - 2 pm How is the climate system changing? |
Chair: Dr. Sally Aitken, Professor, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences and Associate Dean of Research and Innovation
Dr. Simon Donner, Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and Department of Geography Dr. Rachel White, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Dr. Philippe Tortell, Professor and Head, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Dr. Christian Schoof, Professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences |
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2 pm – 3 pm How can society achieve a fair and responsible transition? |
Chair: Dr. Gail Murphy, Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Dr. David Boyd, Associate Professor of Law, Policy and Sustainability, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability Dr. Robert Clifford, Assistant Professor, Allard School of Law Dr. Carol Liao, Associate Professor, Allard School of Law Dr. Hisham Zerriffi, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management |