The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and the Université du Québec en Outaouais are thrilled to present the first of four installments of the RSC Dialogues @ UQO series, Climate Action and Health Resilience.
Human well-being and well-becoming may be better understood by considering its relationship with the world in which we live. As many would assert, we are stewards of the territories in which we live and thus have responsibilities for the well-being of future generations. As climate catastrophes become a reality for many people around the world, the impact that these changes have upon the health and well-being of the world’s people is significant. Expert discussion on climate change has yielded insight on appropriate climate action that have necessary reference to the health and well-being of current and future generations.
This dialogue will be led by RSC College Members Damon Matthews and Andrew Tanentzap, who will explore important aspects of climate action and the prospective positive impacts they may have for human well-being, focusing on Canadian and global contexts.
Moderator
Frédérik Doyon is a Professor of forest landscape ecology in the Department of Natural Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. He is a member of the Institut des Sciences de la Forêt tempérée and the Centre d'étude de la forêt. His scientific expertise encompasses the fields of landscape ecology, spatial analysis and modelling, nature’s mechanics and forest management in temperate hardwood forests. His recent work focuses on the effects of climate change on these forests, the adaptive approaches that could enhance their resilience, and the role forests play in mitigating climate change.
Panelists
Damon Matthews (RSC College) is a Professor and Research Chair in Climate Science and Sustainability at Concordia University. Since receiving his PhD in 2004, he has produced groundbreaking advances in our understanding of the climate response to cumulative carbon emissions, and the responsibility of individual nations for historical climate warming. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications, including contributions to the last two reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Andrew Tanentzap (RSC College) is a Full Professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change and Northern Ecosystems at Trent University., He was previously based at the University of Cambridge where he was Professor of Global Change Ecology and led the Ecosystems and Global Change Group in the Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute from 2013 to 2023. He has made fundamental discoveries in understanding how environmental change impacts both biodiversity and the benefits people receive from nature, including carbon sequestration, food production, and drinking water. His recent research has begun tracking the emergence of pathogens in a warming Arctic with a focus on empowering community-led surveillance systems for a healthier future.