Prof joins urban climate change research team

A news release from the Media Relations team.

A professor from the Faculty of Environment has joined an international effort by top climate scientists to help cities around the world address the causes and consequences of climate change.

Professor Sarah Burch is part of an expert team working on the Second Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3-2) that will produce a comprehensive analysis of urban climate change governance and policy. The work is part of a larger effort by the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN) to produce a resource for guiding cities in their response to climate change.

“The risks associated with climate change are some of the gravest facing our cities,” said André Roy, dean of the Faculty of Environment at Waterloo. “The Faculty takes great pride in supporting researchers like Professor Burch who are eager to take on these major challenges that significantly impact people around the world."

More than half of the global population now lives in urban centres, many of them located in coastal or delta areas. Because of topography and population density, cities are disproportionately vulnerable to weather extremes such as heat waves and flooding from storm surges.

Cities are important economic engines, promoting economic development and providing jobs that support their own residents as well as large numbers of families outside city boundaries. They are also a source of some of the most groundbreaking efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

“Innovative approaches to managing climate change are springing up in cities around the world,” said Professor Burch. “ARC3-2 holds the potential to accelerate urban sustainability by drawing together scholars, practitioners, and decision-makers who can provide new ideas and insights. I look forward to participating in this action-oriented exchange, and producing tools that will be useful to cities in Canada and around the world.”

ARC3-2 will be released in 2015, and will cover a range of issues from urban health to food, water and energy systems, transportation, economics and private finance, and governance.

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A word from the United Way campaign co-chair

by Jacqueline Martinz, Federation of Students.

As the new co-chair for the University of Waterloo’s United Way Campaign, James Skidmore is hoping this year’s efforts do more than simply convince others to donate their money.

“I want to see the University community learn about the programs and agencies that the United Way funds,“ he said. “It would be ideal if people gained a greater appreciation for the genuine spirit of service that the member agencies bring to their work and our region.”

Skidmore, the former chair of the department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, has been contributing to the organization since 2000. He has seen first-hand the positive impact it makes in people’s lives.

“When I was an undergrad at the University of Saskatchewan, two of my summer jobs were made possible by funds from the United Way,” he said. “One position was at a youth hostel in Saskatoon, and the other was at an immigrant and refugee aid society. Both jobs taught me a great deal. The United Way indirectly educated me about the lives of those far less fortunate than me.”

It was in the spring that Skidmore was asked to take over the role from professor Richard Wells. He joins returning co-chair, Alexandra Lippert, and a team of staff members from all over campus.

The campaign starts today, October 1, with a $240,000 goal. More information about how to donate and volunteer is available online.

Photograph courtesy of the United Way campaign.

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Equinox Summit continues

The Equinox Summit: Learning 2030 continues today with a number of events.

The second plenary discussion, entitled "You Can't Get There From Here," promises "a no-holds-barred examination of the end-goals of education" with a panel that includes Erin Millar, Suneet Tuli, Jennifer Corriero, and moderator Michael Brooks. Working sessions will follow.

Another installment of The Agenda With Steve Paikin will be broadcast tonight, entitled "Learning Without Teachers," at 8:00 p.m. on TVO.

The livestream link for today's public events is below:

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Tuesday's notes

Professor Diana Liverman will deliver the 2013 TD Walter Bean Lecture in the Environment tomorrow. Entitled "A Delicate Balance - Fighting Poverty in the Age of Climate Change," the lecture will be livestreamed starting at 5:30 p.m. Liverman is co-director of the Institute of the Environment and Regents Professor in the School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona.

The talk by David Rupp, director of the Canadian Institute in Greece, scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., is taking place in PHY 235. Rupp will be delivering the lecture "Canadians take the field throughout Greece" at an event presented by the Canadian Ambassador in Greece the Honourable Robert Peck, the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Human Resources is reporting that History professor Wendy Mitchinson has retired, effective today, October 1. Mitchinson began her career at the University of Waterloo in July 1985 as an associate professor in the Department of History and ends it as a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Gender and Medical History.

Congratulations!

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