Two presentations on climate change at UVic

Please note the two upcoming presentations at University of Victoria 

1. Changing Climate Change Behaviour: Individual-level Barriers and Solutions 

Dr. Robert Gifford,
Department of Psychology, UVic 
October 21, 2009
2pm - 3pm
Sedgewick Bldg. Room C168, UVic 

ABSTRACT:Most people accept that the global climate is changing and understand that their direct and indirect use of fossil fuels will have widespread effects on the environment, which in turn will lead to important impacts on humans. Nevertheless, polls also report that most people are not prepared to do very much to change their lifestyle. Why is this? Why don't our actions match our attitudes? The choices of some people are hampered by structural barriers beyond their control, but many others are challenged by psychological barriers that can be overcome. This presentation describes many of these psychological barriers, some evidence about which barriers are most common, and offers potential policy-oriented ideas and solutions for overcoming them. 

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2. Decision-aiding for climate change adaptation within social-environmental resource systems: Learning from experience with forestry, fisheries, and biodiversity in BC 

Dr. Tim McDaniels
Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia. 
October 21, 2009
3pm - 4pm
Sedgewick Bldg. Room C168, UVic 

Abstract:A recent report from the National Research Council outlines the need for climate-related decision support to help inform complex decisions about adaptation to climate change. The focus of this talk is on learning from experience regarding climate-related decision support approaches in several British Columbia examples that involve large-scale coupled human-environmental systems. We begin with a discussion of key issues regarding climate adaptation and why it is far more difficult in environmental contexts than has been assumed. Then we turn to the lessons to be drawn from climate-related decision support efforts related to (i) Fraser River Sockeye salmon (from an expert view and a First Nations view), (ii) Mountain pine beetle infestations and (iii) potential expansion of protected areas in the Yukon to Yellowstone corridor. Each of the cases involves different contexts (e.g., before and after the disaster has hit) and different approaches. We discuss the potential role of robust decision-making for climate adaptation, and outline the elements of a judgmental-based approach, through one of the cases above. Overall, we argue that climate adaptation in environmental contexts is far more complex and contentious than compared to urban climate adaptation.


- All seminars will be available via live webcast at http://www.pics.uvic.ca/broadcast.php. You will also be able to download the speaker's presentation from this site just before the seminar.