UBC climate experts and COP26 delegates
The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) climate change conference is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. UBC conference delegates and UBC climate, environment and sustainability experts are available to comment.
UBC COP26 delegation
Eman Alsulaiti (إيمان السليطي) (she/her)
Undergraduate student, Department of Central, Eastern & Northern European Studies
Email: eeman@student.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish
- Sustainable development goal 4
- European Green Deal, Qatar, youth empowerment, sustainability
Max Cohen (he/him)
PhD candidate, Department of Geography
Tel: 778-887-7362
Email: max.cohen.ubc@gmail.com
Interview language(s): English
- Just transition, climate policy, and Glasgow
Dr. Robert Godin (he/him)
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Email: robert.godin@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, French
- Energy, in particular, solar energy
- Carbon dioxide utilization, sustainability and water purification
Prof. Kathryn Harrison (she/her)
Professor, Department of Political Science
Tel: 778-968-4923
Email: kathryn.harrison@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Climate and energy, climate change
- Environmental politics, environmental policy
Dr. Walter Mérida (he/him)
Senior Faculty Advisor to the President and Vice-Chancellor,
Associate Dean, Research and Industry Partnerships, Faculty of Applied Science,
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Tel: 604-822-4189
Email: walter.merida@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Spanish, Italian
- UBC sustainability research and initiatives
- Clean energy opportunities for B.C.
- Sustainable energy systems, low carbon fuels, hydrogen and clean energy
Temitope Onifade (he/him)
PhD candidate, Peter A. Allard School of Law
Email: temitope@onifade.org
Interview language(s): English, Yoruba, English-based pidgin
- Climate policy and justice under the Paris Agreement
- Canada’s climate governance framework
Dr. U. Rashid Sumaila (he/him)
University Killam Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
Tel: 604-351-7406
Email: r.sumaila@oceans.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Hausa, Norwegian
- Blue economy, sustainable and just ocean systems, fisheries economics
- Marine biodiversity, ocean conservation
Juvarya Veltkamp (she/her)
Director, Canada Climate Law Initiative
Email: veltkamp@allard.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Urdu, Hindi
- Climate change, climate risk, green economy, net zero transition
- Sustainable cities, green buildings, economic development, climate governance/law
Climate/environment
Juan José Alava (he/him)
Research associate, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries Faculty of Science
Email: j.alava@oceans.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English and Spanish
- Climate change and ocean pollution (foodweb bioaccumulation of pollutants exacerbated by climate change) with risk implications and equity considerations on coastal communities.
Dr. David R. Boyd (he/him)
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment and Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
Email: david.r.boyd@ires.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Spanish
- Climate, biodiversity, pollution, energy transitions
- Environmental connection to emerging infectious diseases of zoonotic origin such as COVID-19
- Human rights and environment, environmental justice
Prof. Werner Antweiler
Associate Professor, Sauder School of Business
Tel: 604-822-8484
Email: werner.antweiler@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Environmental and energy topics, particularly the integration of renewable energy sources into our electricity grid and the electrification of mobility
Dr. Peter Arcese
Professor, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences
Tel: 778-350-9295
Email: peter.arcese@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Uses advanced computer planning tools and global citizen science and spatial data to design conservation plans capable of enhancing restoring biodiversity, sequestering atmospheric carbon, and enhancing local livelihoods
Dr. Kai Chan (he/him)
Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability
Canada Research Chair in Rewilding and Social-Ecological Transformation
Email: kaichan@ires.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Social and economic transitions and transformations
- Relationships between climate change, water, food, biodiversity
Dr. William Cheung
Professor, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries
Canada Research Chair in Ocean Sustainability and Global Change
Email: w.cheung@oceans.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Biodiversity
- Impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and dependent human communities
- Climate solutions for the ocean and fisheries
Dr. Simon Donner
Professor, Department of Geography
Email: simon.donner@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Climate change science and policy
- International climate finance
- Emissions targets
Dr. Johan Foster
Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
NSERC Canfor Industrial Research Chair in Advanced Bioproducts
Tel: 604-817-8882
Email: johan.foster@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Renewable plastics, biodegradable plastics
- Carbon neutral and carbon-negative materials
Dr. John S. Richardson
Professor, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences
Email: john.richardson@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Water and biodiversity
Dr. Stephen Sheppard (he/him)
Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management
Tel: 778-997-7292
Email: stephen.sheppard@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Climate change planning and engagement; visualization; urban forestry, nature-based solutions and renewable energy; mitigation and adaptation
Dr. Sean Smukler
Associate Professor and Chair, Agriculture and the Environment
Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Tel: 604-822-2795
Email: sean.smukler@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Monitoring and protecting agricultural land
- Regenerative agriculture
- Quantifying soil carbon
Dr. Terry Sunderland
Professor, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences
Tel: 778-871-6483
Email: terry.sunderland@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Coordinating the Global Landscapes Forum at COP, November 5-7
- Sustainable development, forests, food security, landscape approaches, livelihoods, biodiversity
Dr. David Tindall
Professor, Department of Sociology
Email: tindall@mail.ubc.ca
Language(s): English
- Social movements and protest
- Politics of climate change
Dr. Philippe Tortell (he/him)
Professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Email: ptortell@eoas.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- How the Earth’s environment has changed due to human impact in the past 50 years
- Greenhouse gases
Dr. Hannah Wittman (she/her)
Professor, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
Email: hannah.wittman@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Portuguese, Spanish
- Food security, local food systems and community development
- Environmental politics
- Sustainable agriculture
Dr. Jiaying Zhao (she/her)
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sustainability
Tel: 609-865-4765
Email: jiayingz@psych.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Chinese
