Scott McKenzie has written an article in The Conversation, an independent source of news and views, from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public. His article is Scientific information is the key to democracy.
Scott is a PhD student in Resource Management and Environmental Studies working under the supervision of Dr. Leila Harris. Before UBC, Scott completed a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Studies, Philosophy, and American Studies at the University of Kansas and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa. Scott’s research and writing focuses how contending notions of scale and regulation affect water policy (within the water-energy-food nexus). His work considers the relationship between the natural environment, human development, and law. He has also worked as a development agent for the United States Peace Corps in Morocco, in the Cairo office of the Near East Foundation, as a private practice lawyer in New Orleans, and at the International Water Resources Association in Montpellier France.
At UBC Scott is a member of the EDGES research collaborative and the Program on Water Governance. Scott’s research will be involved with Experience of Shifting Water Governance: Comparative Study of Water Access, Narrative and Citizenship in Accra, Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa. This collaborative comparative research project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and will focus on differing relationship between citizens in under served areas in Ghana and South Africa, their provision of water, and how they access and interact with the state to mediate this relationship.
Role of shallow water carbonate sediment dissolution in the future accretion of coral reefs in an acidifying ocean
Abstract: Ocean acidification (OA) is predicted to have a significant impact on the future of coral reefs, mainly through the reduced formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). However, the dissolution of stored CaCO3 has largely been overlooked in the OA community. CaCO3 sediments represent the largest reservoir of carbonate minerals in coral reefs and result from the accumulation and storage of CaCO3 material over thousands of years. Benthic chamber incubations in permeable CaCO3 sediments show that aragonite saturation in the overlying water is a strong predictor of CaCO3 sediment dissolution and most reefs show a similar response to increasing average pCO2 (OA). However, every reef shows a different net sediment dissolution starting condition and the effect of end of century OA conditions on net sediment dissolution is different for every reef. Empirical relationships between average aragonite saturation and net ecosystem calcification, coral calcification and sediment dissolution from reefs around the globe are used to quantify future changes in the CaCO3 accretion of coral reefs. Quantifying the global dissolution kinetics of permeable CaCO3 sediments is clearly just as important as estimating calcification rates when predicting how OA will impact coral reef ecosystems.
Bio: Professor Bradley Eyre is a biogeochemist and the foundation Director of the Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry at Southern Cross University, Australia. His publications include topics such as whole ecosystem carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus budgets, net ecosystem metabolism estimates, benthic and pelagic production and respiration, dissolved organic carbon fluxes, carbon stable isotopes (fluxes and assimilation), carbon burial and air-sea GHG flux estimates, benthic denitrification, benthic habitats and seascapes, historical and ecosystem comparisons, ocean acidification, hypoxia, eutrophication, submarine groundwater discharge, permeable sands and carbonate sediment dissolution. Professor Eyre has 157 articles in Scopus listed journals (H-index = 44, Total citations >5000, Google Scholar; H-index = 35, Total citations>3500, Scopus) and has attracted over >$20 million in funding. He has mentored 14 early- and mid-career researchers and supervised 32 PhD students.
Photo Credit: US Fish and Wildlife Services from flickr/ Creative Commons
The myriad of cultures in the world, with their own traditions and beliefs, are not failed attempts at modernity, let alone failed attempts to be us. Each is an inspired expression of our collective genius, each a unique answer to a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? Every culture has something to say, each deserves to be heard, just as none has a monopoly on the route to the divine. And yet of the world’s 7000 languages, fully half are not being taught to infants. Every fortnight an elder passes away and carries into the grave the last syllables of an ancient tongue. At risk is a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalogue of the imagination that is the human legacy. Rediscovering a new appreciation for the the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed in culture, is among the central challenges of our time.
Wade Davis is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker whose work has taken him from the Amazon to Tibet, Africa to Australia, Polynesia to the Arctic. Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society from 1999 to 2013, he is currently Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Author of 20 books, including One River, The Wayfinders and Into the Silence, winner of the 2012 Samuel Johnson prize, he holds degrees in anthropology and biology and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany, all from Harvard University. His many film credits include Light at the Edge of the World, an eight-hour documentary series written and produced for the National Geographic Channel. Davis is the recipient of 11 honorary degrees, as well as the 2009 Gold Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the 2011 Explorers Medal, the highest award of the Explorers’ Club, the 2012 David Fairchild Medal for botanical exploration, the 2015 Centennial Medal of Harvard University, the 2017 Roy Chapman Andrews Society’s Distinguished Explorer Award and the 2017 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration. In 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.
Why people matter: including water user preferences in water policymaking
Abstract:
Water management models frequently draw on physical constructs to represent and conceptualize water system processes to inform policymaking. Yet these models often lack sufficient detail or draw assumptions about complex socio-hydrological interactions. My research highlights new approaches for the coupling of socio-economic research with hydrological models in order to simulate human-water system interactions. I will provide examples of how choice models can represent proxies of human behaviour for developing a coupled socio-hydrological model in the Okanagan region of British Columbia. I will end by highlighting how water user preferences have enhanced local planning processes and why people matter to future water policies of the Okanagan.
Bio:
Dr. Conrad is a scientist and manager with over 25 years research, industry, and consulting experience. Steve has developed this experience through roles with private consulting, municipal engineering, and as a researcher and Associate Director of the Pacific Water Research Centre, Simon Fraser University. Dr. Conrad is now an Adjunct Professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia and serves on the Board of Directors for the American Water Works Association representing the BC Section. Steve’s research focus includes the water-energy nexus, municipal energy management, water supply and demand management, climate change adaptation, and the integration of social science theories with technical models to improve decision making.
Grazing animals have a significant influence on anthropogenic greenhouse emissions from agriculture. This seminar will invite dialogue on topics related to meat production, grazing, environment and climate change. For a background document, see the Food and Climate Research Network’s recent report on grazing systems and climate change.
Presentations (10 mins each):
Beyond GhGs: assessing the water footprint of cattle in Southern Amazonia – Michael Lathuillière
Is reduced consumption of livestock products a strong leverage point to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals? – Navin Ramankutty and Zia Mehrabi
Grazing cattle in family farming: welfare for the cow, the farmer and the consumer? – Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado
Panel Speakers:
Michael Lathuillière is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and has specialized in Water Footprint assessment methods applied to agricultural products.
Professor Navin Ramankutty is the Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Change and Food Security at the Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, the Liu Institute for Global Issues and the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.
Zia Mehrabi is a postdoctoral research fellow at Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, the Liu Institute for Global Issues and the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.
Professor Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado is a visiting professor at UBC Animal Welfare Program. He is a professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, where he leads a research group on Animal Agroecology and Animal Welfare.
The Future of Food Global Dialogue Series talks are free, with no RSVP required.
You are invited to the UBC Future of Food Global Dialogue Series: a campus-wide initiative bringing together food security and sustainability experts from across UBC and North America to engage audiences with the Global Food System.
Cross-border Conservation: Theory, Case Study, and a Role for Science in Policy and Action
Abstract:
Borders separate and divide. Territorial and administrative borders separate policy domains and often divide once-continuous ecosystems through the imposition of differing management regimes. These changes may compound to fragment and isolate once-continuous habitat, decouple ecosystem function, and thwart cooperation on conservation policy and action. I will discuss theory from research on ecological edge effects to explore analogs in policy development and planning, drawing on examples from Mexico, the US, and Canada.
This seminar will not be filmed.
Bio:
Thomas D. Sisk is the Olajos-Goslow Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Northern Arizona University, where he directs the Landscape Conservation Initiative. Tom and his research group have pioneered landscape-level analyses of biodiversity and collaborative approaches for engaging diverse voices in conservation planning. Tom and his colleagues work to improve policy and on-the-ground outcomes by delivering rigorous science to participatory processes, leveraging field research, remote sensing, and spatial and statistical modeling. Tom holds a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University, served as Special Assistant for Science to the Director of the National Biological Service, and is a founding board member of Conservation Science Partners. His career is dedicated to training the next generation of conservation leaders, who are diversifying the conservation profession and developing novel career pathways for protecting biodiversity during this period of rapid environmental change.
Thomas will also be speaking on Wednesday, January 17th 2018 at UBC Green College. Click on the links below for more details.
New this year:With humanity’s creation of a new geological era marked by dominant human influences on planetary processes, the Anthropocene seems to offer little hope.
And yet, the same ingenuity that enables human domination over the Earth also allows a certain genius in addressing the many rising environmental and sustainability challenges.
Hope in the Anthropocene will showcase such inspirations and solutions in tackling climate change, harnessing energy, feeding humanity, governing states, and meeting our collective water and sanitation needs all while respecting Indigenous peoples and protecting nature and its benefits for people.
A collaboration between Green College and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, Hope in the Anthropocene will feature 6 accomplished speakers from around the world presenting in the IRES Seminar Series.
Location: Coach House, UBC Green College Address: 6201 Cecil Green Park Road
Date: Wednesday, January 17th 2018 Time: 5pm
Participatory Science, Public Discourse, and Hope for Solving Wicked Environmental Problems
Thomas D. Sisk, Landscape Conservation Initiative, Northern Arizona University, and
Wendy J. Palen, Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University
Abstract:
Hope for the future of wildlife and biodiversity does not come from an examination of data, which show elevated rates of habitat loss and extinction worldwide. Nor is it justified by social trends, which continue to prioritize many issues above the environment, while downplaying science. Our work shows how participation in science can lead to deeper engagement in complex policy challenges, more rational public discourse, and – eventually – better decisions and outcomes. This process is slow, but can be catalyzed by effective collaboration. We provide examples of how involvement in science-based decision processes, which are dependent on community as much as objective fact or overt leadership, is a source of hope for many, and how increasing opportunities for transformative engagement brings hope for the future of biodiversity.
Wendy J. Palen
Dr. Palen is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University, where her research focuses on identifying science-based conservation solutions for freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Current projects integrate population dynamics, food web ecology, and risk assessment for species at risk, as well as leverage diverse stakeholder groups on renewable energy and unconventional oil and gas development. Dr. Palen is a founding member of the Earth to Ocean Research Group at SFU, a unique training environment that promotes collaboration, communication, and outreach directly with conservation practitioners and natural resource managers. Dr. Palen helped create the Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship in conservation science, and serves as the program’s Assistant Director. She also serves as Chair for the Board of Directors for the non-profit Evidence for Democracy, Canada’s only science advocacy organization.
Thomas D. Sisk is the Olajos-Goslow Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Northern Arizona University, where he directs the Landscape Conservation Initiative. Tom and his research group have pioneered landscape-level analyses of biodiversity and collaborative approaches for engaging diverse voices in conservation planning. Tom and his colleagues work to improve policy and on-the-ground outcomes by delivering rigorous science to participatory processes, leveraging field research, remote sensing, and spatial and statistical modeling. Tom holds a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Stanford University, served as Special Assistant for Science to the Director of the National Biological Service, and is a founding board member of Conservation Science Partners. His career is dedicated to training the next generation of conservation leaders, who are diversifying the conservation profession and developing novel career pathways for protecting biodiversity during this period of rapid environmental change.
When Canada’s Liberal government was elected in 2015, they promised to repair the extensive damage inflicted on environmental laws and policies by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government. In early February, bills introducing changes to the Fisheries Act, National Energy Board Act, and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act were introduced.
Bio:
Jonathan Wilkinson is the Member of Parliament for North Vancouver and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. He will lead a discussion about the process that led to the proposed changes, and whether the laws are strong enough to rebuild public trust, respect Indigenous rights, and fulfill Canada’s climate change commitments. Jonathan Wilkinson was elected Member of Parliament for North Vancouver on October 19th, 2015. Shortly thereafter he was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Abstract: Social scientists are increasingly collaborating with partners in the field (NGOs, Social Enterprises and in some case activists) to further research on development. This has led to a broadening of the questions they ask, and a sharpening of the methods used to answer those questions, including the use of randomized control trials and associated tools traditionally employed in the health sciences. This session will bring together an academic (Johannes Urpelainen) and a social entrepreneur (Rustam Sengupta) who have worked together in the field on questions of renewable energy access. In this round-table, Johannes Urpelainen and Rustam Sengupta will discuss the challenges and pleasures of collaborating across the academic and practitioner divide in their attempts to improve the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.
Johannes Urpelainen
Bio:
Johannes Urpelainen is the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment at Johns Hopkins SAIS and the Founding Director of the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP). He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 2009 and spent the next eight years at Columbia University.
Johannes is the award-winning author of four books and over a hundred refereed articles on environmental politics, energy policy, and global governance. He teaches action-oriented classes on energy and environmental policy to equip the next generation of global leaders with deep knowledge, advanced analytical skills — and a passion for transformational social change. As one of the world’s top energy policy experts, Johannes frequently advises governments, international organizations, and the private sector on energy and environment.
As the Founding Director of ISEP, Johannes is responsible for the vision, strategy, and general management of the initiative. His work under ISEP offers pragmatic but effective approaches to providing the world’s population with affordable and abundant energy at minimal environmental impact. In his spare time, Johannes reads biographies and tries to improve his Hindi.
Johannes will also be speaking on Wednesday February 28th UBC Green College. Click here for more details.
Rustam Sengupta
Bio: Rustam Sengupta is a renewable energy entrepreneur, impact investor and subject matter expert with extensive research experience of over a decade in sustainable social enterprise design, rooftop solar and renewable energy access. He has an expertise in identifying, designing and analysing strategies that affect energy systems and policies with a geographical focus on South Asia. He is the author of the book ‘De-Mystifying Impact Investing an Entrepreneurs’ Guide, which provides strategic advises and recommendations on impact investment and has served as a guide for several emerging entrepreneurs and investors.
Rustam is also the founder and board member of Boond (www.boond.net), an energy access enterprise that creates rural entrepreneurs and distribution channels for development products like solar rooftops and solar micro grids in remote parts of India. He was selected as one of the top 36 entrepreneurs who accompanied the Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi as a part of his Start up India delegation to the US in 2015. In addition to his role in impact investment advisory and deal structuring to start-ups, he has had wide experience in private banking and strategic consulting and has worked in agencies like Standard Chartered (in Singapore), Syngenta (in Switzerland) and Deloitte Consulting (in the US). He is the board member and investor of Emsys Electronics (P) Ltd (a company that designs and manufactures high quality electronic products), Mynergy Solar (P) Ltd., (a company that specializes in leasing and asset management company for solar rooftop projects) and WithIndia (P) Ltd (a company that manufacturers environmentally friendly, insect and fire proof panels and tiles. Rustam also holds the position of Associate Director at the John Hopkin’s University Institute of Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP) where is charged with finding and implementing projects related to market-led solutions to sustainable energy policy. He is also the lead founding partner of Boond Energy Expert Group (BEEG) that works with governments, policy makers and bilateral institutions on energy storage, smart grids, distributed rooftop solar and electric transportation.
Rustam holds an INSEAD MBA graduate with MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He was awarded the ‘Echoing Green Fellowship’ for work in Climate Change in 2014 and was selected as a ‘Chevening Rolls-Royce Science and Technology Policy Leadership Fellow’ in 2017 at Oxford University. He presently resides in Vancouver with his wife and four year old son.
New this year:With humanity’s creation of a new geological era marked by dominant human influences on planetary processes, the Anthropocene seems to offer little hope.
And yet, the same ingenuity that enables human domination over the Earth also allows a certain genius in addressing the many rising environmental and sustainability challenges.
Hope in the Anthropocene will showcase such inspirations and solutions in tackling climate change, harnessing energy, feeding humanity, governing states, and meeting our collective water and sanitation needs all while respecting Indigenous peoples and protecting nature and its benefits for people.
A collaboration between Green College and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, Hope in the Anthropocene will feature 6 accomplished speakers from around the world presenting in the IRES Seminar Series.
