President's Panel on Climate Action

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Acadia University is pleased to present the President's Panel on Climate Action: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Sustainable Development. This event is an annual showcase of Acadia research, teaching, and service from the Faculties of Arts, Professional Studies, and Pure and Applied Science with a focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This event is open to the public and is accessible.

Date: Thursday November 28th, 2024
Time: 6:30pm Welcome Reception & 7:00pm-9:00pm Presentations & Discussion
Location: K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre Auditorium

Presented by:

Jeff Hennessy

Dr. Jeff Hennessy (he/him)
Acadia University President and Vice-Chancellor

Ashley Cunsolo

Dr. Ashley Cunsolo (she/her)
Acadia University Provost and Vice-President Academic

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Featured Speakers

Faculty of Arts

Mazer

Dr. Katie Mazer (she/her)
Environmental and Sustainability Studies & Women's and Gender Studies

Bio: Katie Mazer is an Assistant Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at Acadia University. A human geographer by training, Katie’s research examines the ways rural and declining regions of Canada come to see their economic futures as dependent on unsustainable resource development. Her forthcoming book Roads to Resources: Uneven Development, Mobile Work, and the Extractive Imaginary in Canada (UBC Press) historicizes the contemporary movement of Maritimers “out west” to work in the Alberta petroleum industry.

Title: We’ve always left for work’ and other stories: Imagining alternatives to oil work

Abstract: Key to meaningful climate action is the idea of a “just transition”: that our response to climate change must prioritize those most impacted by climate change itself and the restructuring required to address it. We can even understand such a transition as an opportunity to address multiple interconnected crises at once. But to do this, we need to imagine that a different future is possible. Drawing on research in Maritime communities where it has become normal to work “out west” in the Alberta petroleum industry, this presentation asks about the role of stories in perpetuating fossil fuel extraction. I consider how fossil fuel workers come to understand travelling thousands of miles to work in the oil patch as the most viable pathway to a better life. I ask, what would it take for them to imagine their working lives otherwise?

Faculty of Professional Studies

Callaghan and Doyle

Dr. Edith Callaghan (she/her) & Ashley Doyle, CPA, CA (she/her)
F.C. Manning School of Business

Bio: Dr. Edith Callaghan is a Professor of Business Strategy at the F.C. Manning School of Business, and Council Member for Environmental & Sustainability Studies. Her research is focused on organizational and societal change for sustainability, particularly in food and agricultural systems. Current projects include identifying barriers and benefits for on-farm carbon management systems, investigating opportunities for a Fibre Flax to Fabric linen industry in Eastern Canada, and supporting student food insecurity initiatives. Dr. Callaghan graduated from Boston University (2002), School of Management, with a Doctor of Business Administration. She earned a Master of Arts, with a focus on Urban & Environmental Policy from Tufts University (1994).

Bio: Ashley Doyle, CPA, CA, is an Accounting Professor at the F.C. Manning School of Business at Acadia University, board member for CPA Nova Scotia, and Chair of the CPA Nova Scotia Education Foundation.  Her current projects include identifying how a Risk Control Matrix (RCM) can be used to understand risk in transition design when tackling wicked problems associated with sustainability initiatives. Another area of focus is analyzing the economic viability of a long-line linen value chain in Nova Scotia using a circular production model.

Title: How a Maritime Fibre Flax to Fabric Industry Can Reduce our Negative Climate Impacts

Abstract: Canada’s dependence on fast fashion continues to grow despite the well-documented environmental impacts of a global supply chain that relies heavily on non-renewable resources and wasteful consumption practices. Accounting for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the impact of textiles and fashion is perilously overlooked. Further, Canada’s reliance on imported fibres, textiles and clothing undermines local fibre and textile industries as they attempt to compete with multinational companies that use cheap labour, poor quality raw materials, and hold questionable environmental standards. Toward the goals of reducing GHG emissions and supporting local communities and economies, the Fibre Flax to Fabric project brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers applying a circular economic model of fibre production for long line linen and flax by products.

Faculty of Pure & Applied Science

Ferguson

Dr. Laura Ferguson (she/her)
Department of Biology

Bio: Dr. Ferguson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Acadia. She completed her BScH and MSc at Acadia University and PhD at Western University, followed by a Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship at Dalhousie University, before returning to Acadia. Her background is in the thermal biology of insects and their relatives, with a particular interest in host-parasite relationships and overwintering biology. Currently, she focuses on how our warming winters impact insects, ticks, and their relationships with microbes.

Title: Ticks, mosquitoes, and climate change: increasing understanding to protect against rising disease risks

Abstract: Climate warming in Canada is increasing habitat suitability for insects and their relatives, such as mosquitoes and ticks. Consequently, the risks of vector-borne diseases are increasing. For example, Lyme disease, caused by a bacterium that is vectored by the invasive blacklegged tick, is rising in Canada due to climate change and its incidence is 12-fold higher in Nova Scotia compared to the rest of the country. Warming will also encourage additional species of ticks, mosquitoes, and pathogens to thrive in our area. To help protect against these disease risks associated with climate change we need to understand the ecology and physiology of the vectors. We use surveillance, coupled with both lab and field studies, to determine the mechanisms that drive the success of ticks and mosquitoes under climate change conditions. With this knowledge we can help to predict change, educate, and mitigate the impacts of vector-borne diseases.

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