COP26 is a circus with a purpose: Putting climate change in the spotlight so no country can ignore it

IRES Seminar Series

Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm (every Thursday)

Location: AERL Theatre (room 120), 2202 Main Mall

View video.

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Addressing Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract:

Agriculture is at a critical juncture. While trying to provide calories for 7.9 billion people, agriculture is a major contributor to global greenhouse gases, biodiversity loss, nutrient pollution, land clearing, soil degradation, and public health problems. Concerns about the long-term sustainability of agriculture have promoted interest in alternative, more diversified farming systems, such as organic, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture, compared to mainstream conventional systems. These alternative farming systems are better at contributing to multiple sustainability goals but are expanding too slowly to be transformational. Incentives for appropriate markets, reform of farm-related policies, and reorientation of publicly funded agricultural science are needed to hasten farmers adopting these more sustainable farming systems. Additionally, consumers play a vital role in the foods they choose to eat.

John Reganold

Visiting Professor, IRES

Bio:

Dr. John Reganold has shaped his career by his interest in soil science and agriculture, receiving his Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of California at Davis. He is currently Regents Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology at Washington State University. He has spent 30-plus years bringing a blend of innovative teaching and research on soil quality and sustainable farming systems into the mainstream of higher education and food production. He has had the privilege of teaching more than 4000 students in the classroom. He has published extensively in scientific journals, magazines, and books, including ScienceNature, and Scientific American.

Dr. Reganold is an International Visiting Research Scholar supported by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC.

IRES Visiting Professor Term: August 2021 – December 2021.

Seeking Assistant Professor: Human Dimensions of Biodiversity Conservation

IRES and Faculty of Land and Food Systems are seeking an interdisciplinary scholar who uses econometric and other quantitative techniques to investigate human dimensions of biodiversity conservation. For example, research interests may include how individual and institutional actions affect conservation outcomes, or how biodiversity conservation affects aspects of human well-being. Anticipated start July 1, 2022.

November 2, 2021: A Discussion on Open Access in Canada

Moderated by Stephen Chignell, IRES Ph.D. Student | Open access publishing is a rapidly expanding and evolving strategy for making scholarly work globally accessible. Unlike the traditional scholarly publishing model under which publishers require institutions or individuals to pay for access to these materials, open access provides a model for freely available research outputs to the general public for viewing, and often for reuse.

There is a great deal of activity in Canada that has advanced open access nationally, including publishing bodies and initiatives, and national granting opportunities and requirements. This event will explore opportunities and challenges from the perspective of two significant open access publishing initiatives, the University of Calgary Press and Coalition Publica.

October 28, 2021: 2021 Zero Waste Conference

IRES’s Dr. Kai Chan is one of the panelists in this year’s Zero Waste Conference, which has been at the forefront of Canada’s circular economy journey. As the world faces unprecedented challenges, the conference focusses on accelerating the transition to a circular and zero waste economy, creating solutions that combine economic opportunity with benefits to wider society and the environment.

Date & Time: October 28, 2021, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Virtual conference, register here: https://registration.metrovancouver.org/zwc

Panelists will explore questions like: what does the current data and insights on resource use tell us about where should we focus our attention and efforts? What has the pandemic taught us about our ability to adapt, and about the urgency of the challenge in the context of climate change, economic recovery, and biodiversity loss? What business and government transformation is needed and how do we accelerate the adoption of innovation in businesses and communities?

COP26 is a circus with a purpose: Putting climate change in the spotlight so no country can ignore it