Below are news items from the UBC IRES community.
How have Environmentally Friendly Activities Changed over the Past 10 Years?
Dr. Jiaying Zhao (Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability; department of psychology) discussed how activities that benefit the environment have evolved.
How Images of Turtles and Dolphins Helped One Vancouver Office Building Reduce Plastic Waste
A UBC psychology experiment found that pictures of marine animals helped one office building in Downtown Vancouver reduce plastic waste by 17 per cent. Psychology professor and the experiment's senior author Dr. Jiaying Zhao was quoted.
A Guaranteed Basic Income Could End Poverty, so Why Isn’t it Happening?
Psychology professor Dr. Jiaying Zhao and physics professor Dr. Lorne Whitehead discussed the need for guaranteed basic income in order to end poverty.
Climate Solutions Could be Key in Dealing with Poverty, Human Suffering
Dr. Jiaying Zhao (Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability; department of psychology) was quoted in a story about a new report on climate change impacts. Dr. Zhao said we'll see significant human suffering and casualties from climate change in low-income communities.
What We Know About the Women Who Vote for Republicans and the Men Who Do Not
A New York Times opinion piece mentioned research co-authored by Dr. Terre Satterfield (Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability), which found that white men’s risk perception ratings were lower than those of white women, minority-group women and minority-group men.
What’s going on in Antarctica? (And in the Arctic, too?)
Dr. Simon Donner, a UBC geography professor of climate science and policy, discussed what record-breaking temperatures in the Arctic and the Antarctic tell us about climate change.
Farmers Can Profit By Setting Aside Marginal Lands As Habitat
Dr. Claire Kremen, a professor at UBC's department of zoology and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, discussed what can be done to render agriculture less hostile to biodiversity and the climate.
New Sustainability Hub at UBC to address Climate Change
A team led by Dr. Kai Chan, a UBC professor at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, has launched CoSphere, a new social media hub where people can connect to take action for a sustainable future.
North Americans have already used up their share of the Planet’s Resources for the Year. It’s Clear that Climate Action Needs a Reboot
Dr. Kai Chan, a UBC professor at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, wrote about system change to reduce our environmental footprints.
Environmental ‘Sacrifice Zones’ Require Ambitious Action: UN Expert
Unveiling a new report on the devastating impacts of pollution, United Nations expert, Dr. David Boyd, on Thursday called for "urgent and ambitious action" to ensure that everyone on the planet experiences "a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment."
Millions Suffering in Deadly Pollution ‘Sacrifice Zones’, warns UN expert
UN expert, Dr. David Boyd, has warned of the creation of pollution “sacrifice zones” across the world, where tens of millions of people are suffering strokes, cancers, respiratory problems and heart disease as a result of toxic contamination of the environment.
UN Environment Expert: The World’s Toxic Wastelands have Millions of Residents
Six months after the UN recognised the human right to a healthy environment, a report by the UN expert on the environment, Dr. David Boyd, shows that this is far from being the reality for some of the world’s most vulnerable.
Call for Applications – Director, Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability
Dr. Milind Kandlikar will finish his term as Director of the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES) on June 30, 2022. A search committee has been formed to conduct a search for the next Director of IRES.
Canada’s Oil, Gas Emissions cap may wait until 2023, Leaving Climate Plan Hole
Dr. Simon Donner, a UBC geography professor of climate science and policy, said if we don't do something to address oil and gas emissions, Canada will be unable to meet its 2030 emissions targets.
Climate Report Warns of Small ‘Window’ for Action: UBC Professor Simon Donner
Dr. Simon Donner, a professor of climate science and policy at UBC, said the key message of climate reports is that every action counts, and the more we reduce emissions, the less the planet warms, and the less people suffer.
IPCC Report: Half the World is facing Water Scarcity, Floods and Dirty Water — Large Investments are Needed for Effective Solutions
Balsher Singh Sidhu, a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, wrote about the impact of climate change on global water security and how we must work to adapt to climate change in order to mitigate the effects immediately.
University Partnership Exploring ‘Rock Solid’ Solution to Climate Change
UBC institute for resources, environment and sustainability professor Dr. Terre Satterfield discussed her research that analyzes the “human dynamics” component of a project to store carbon dioxide under the ocean floor.
Bringing Out the Best in Wild Birds on Farms
Feb 23, 2022 | Natural Habitat Maximizes the Benefits of Birds for Farmers, Food Safety and Conservation | Dr. Claire Kremen and colleagues published a new study in the Journal of Applied Ecology, which was conducted at 21 strawberry fields along California’s Central Coast. | http://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14124
Alberto Campos and Kai Chan: Rewilding can Restore Ecosystems and Biodiversity in B.C.
Dr. Kai Chan, a UBC professor at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, co-wrote about rewilding, a method which could help alleviate the planet’s current climate and extinction crises, including in B.C.
Pollution Causing More Deaths than COVID, Action Needed, says U.N. Expert
Dr. David Boyd, a UBC Professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and U.N. Special Rapporteur talks of how "Current approaches to managing the risks posed by pollution and toxic substances are clearly failing, resulting in widespread violations of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,"
The Climate Crisis Demands Courage Not Optimism
IRES Professor Simon Donner says climate change is here, and it’s time to move past seeking reassurance from others, to instead ask ourselves what we, as citizens, are going to do about it
U.S. Corn Production is Booming—But Not For the Reasons Scientists Hoped
Dr. Claire Kremen, a professor in UBC's department of zoology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, gave comments about increasing crop yields to tackle the challenge of feeding a growing population.
International land use scientists urge policymakers to adopt new approaches to addressing climate change, biodiversity and other global crises
February 7, 2022 | A new study, co-authored by Dr. Navin Ramankutty, IDs “10 Facts” about global land use and details opportunities for a more sustainable and equitable approach
Milk without the cow: Cellular agriculture could be the future of farming, but dairy farmers need help
January 12, 2022: Sarah-Louise Ruder, IRES PhD Student, and IRES alum Dr. Evan Bowness draw attention to the social impacts of cellular agriculture for the dairy sector in BC, advocating for food system transitions that prioritize sustainability and justice.
IRES’s Dr. Kai Chan is now a T1 CRC in Rewilding and Social-Ecological Transformation!
Congratulations to Kai and his research community! Learn more about Kai's projects, visit his lab's blog and check out cosphere.net by clicking on the title above the graphic.
IRES faculty members Dr. Mark Johnson, Dr. Jiaying Zhao and Dr. Leila Harris are 2021 Killam Scholars
Please join us in congratulating our faculty for their outstanding contributions to mentoring and research! Dr. Leila Harris was recognized with the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. A Professor in Resources, Environment and Sustainability and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, Dr. Harris exemplifies a uniquely empowering and inclusive mentorship style […]
You’ll See More Carbon Labels in the Grocery Store Next Year. Here’s What They Mean.
December 8, 2021: Dr. Navin Ramankutty, a UBC professor at the school of public policy and global affairs and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, was quoted about the best way to approach climate solutions.
Sustainable Gift-Giving is on the Rise. Here Are a Few Ideas for the Holiday Season.
December 8, 2021: Dr. Jiaying Zhao, a professor in UBC’s department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, was quoted about gift-giving.
How Green Are Your Purchases?
December 8, 2021: Dr. Kai Chan, a UBC professor at the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, says just because a product has a green label doesn’t mean that it’s entirely environmentally friendly.
Consider Need Over Deals When Black Friday Bargain Hunting, Experts Say
November 26, 2021: UBC sociology professor Dr. Amy Hanser and Dr. Kai Chan, a UBC professor at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, discussed how sustainability and social behaviour should be considered in Black Friday shopping.
Canada’s British Columbia Feels the Effects of Climate Change
November 25, 2021: UBC geography and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability professor Dr. Simon Donner discussed B.C.’s climate change.
How B.C.’s String of Natural Disasters are Connected
November 20, 2021: UBC geography and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability Professor Dr. Simon Donner was quoted about how B.C. is not equipped to cope with the increasingly extreme weather it faces.
Canada Races to Reach 18,000 Stranded by Worst Floods in Memory
November 20, 2021: UBC geography professor Dr. Simon Donner, says the sequence of extreme weather events is a stark reminder that we can’t keep waiting to see the impacts of climate change and we need to act now.
‘A Form of Control’: Why People Panic Buy and How to Potentially Stop it
November 19, 2021: Dr. Hannah Wittman, a professor at UBC’s faculty of land and food systems and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, and Dr. James Vercammen, a professor in UBC’s faculty of land and food systems, discussed panic buying and how flooding will affect B.C.’s food system.
From Fire to Floods, Climate Change Hits Canada’s Fragile Supply Chain
November 19, 2021: UBC geography professor Dr. Simon Donner says B.C. is not equipped to cope with the increasingly extreme weather it faces, as we are adapted to a climate of the past.