January 23, 2025: IRES Faculty Seminar with Dr. Simon Donner

Talk summary:

In this presentation, I will talk about my role as co-chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which is mandated to provide the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change with independent advice with respect to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Bio:

Simon Donner is a climate scientist focused on helping the world prevent and prepare for climate change. His research program lies primarily at the intersection of climate change science, marine science, and policy. The specific research areas evolve over time in response to advances in climate change knowledge and to real-world events. Prospective students and post-doctoral researchers should check his web site for current and planned areas of work, as well as for guidance for applicants.

Donner takes his privileged position as a professor seriously, and spends a lot of his time translating the science of climate change to different audiences in hopes of helping people make better decisions about the future. He was a lead author on the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment and serves as an appointed member of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body, which advises the federal government on achieving net-zero emissions.

Talk summary:

Aquatic ecosystem metabolism is the balance of organic carbon produced and consumed within an aquatic ecosystem and forms the basis for food webs and biogeochemical cycles in streams. By integrating biochemical and physical components, metabolism represents an ecosystem-level indicator of stream health in relation to stressors such as land-use change, wildfire, or climate change. This research explores how aquatic ecosystem metabolism and carbon biogeochemistry reflect stream health in the Deadman River watershed near Kamloops, British Columbia. This research is part of the Tsecmenúl̓ecwem-kt (We Repair the Land) project, lead by the Skeetchestn Indian Band, which aims to evaluate watershed health and recovery as well as the effectiveness of restoration treatments in the Deadman River watershed following a severe wildfire.

Bio:

Caleb is an MSc student in the UBC Ecohydrology Lab, supervised by Dr. Mark Johnson. His research interest is the use of ecosystem ecology to support stewardship and management of freshwater at the watershed scale. Prior to coming to UBC, Caleb completed a BSc in General Science with a double-major in Biology and Chemistry at the University of Alberta, and then worked as a Program Manager with the Alberta Lake Management Society where he managed year-round and province-wide community-based lake monitoring programs. In his free time you’ll find Caleb cooking, gardening, trail running, or spending time with family and friends.

Talk summary:

Traditional ecological practices in Japan have shifted drastically due to rapid modernization and urbanization over the last century. Some practices survived; others fell asleep. While onset societal change has made village life isolated, Yoshi’s relatives in the village have worked daily to maintain the culture by adapting to changes throughout their lifetime. Inspired by these people’s wisdom and efforts, he studies the fluid ways of village life by listening to them and experiencing the daily life with them. His autoethnographic approach reveals elements of his ancestors’ traditional ways, and how linearity of time can be unraveled by witnessing the adaptability of his relatives, to this day thriving in their element where ecology, culture and spirituality are kept woven tight. He believes that documenting this continuum will aid the bridge for the future generations, extending beyond his village.

Bio:

Despite being raised in urban Nagoya City, Yoshinori has privileged connection with his maternal ancestral village. Spending ample time of his youth in the village, his deep connection with the people, mountain, creeks and creatures has shaped his worldview and developed deep awareness towards his environment, an advantage for his scholarly endeavor. Curiosity strongly drives him in weaving commonalities among differences across circularity of time and space, in the entanglement of humans as a part of nature. A citizen of Japan, a permanent resident of Canada, a descendant of Pacific Rim cultural zone.