Online Webinar*
Date: November 21, 2023
Time: 10:00-11:30 AM (PST)
In this webinar, we will explore the critical interconnections between climate change, food security, and biodiversity conservation in the ocean. Climate change poses significant challenges to our planet’s ecosystems, including the ocean, which plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate and supporting global food security. Rising temperatures, ocean deoxygenation, acidification, and sea-level rise are just a few of the climate-related impacts that affect marine biodiversity and the availability of food resources. The 28th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 28) will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12, 2023. Climate discussion in COP 28 needs to address these multifaceted challenges of ocean changes resulting from climate change and to reinforce the ocean’s role in climate mitigation and adaptation.
Our webinar will delve into the latest research and ideas aimed at understanding and addressing these Food-Climate-Biodiversity challenges. We will discuss the importance of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture practices and marine protected areas in mitigating climate change, and adapting to climate impacts on food security and biodiversity. Additionally, we will explore the role of traditional and Indigenous knowledge in developing effective strategies to support marine ecosystems and human nutritional health.
By bringing together experts and stakeholders, this webinar seeks to foster dialogue and collaboration in finding innovative solutions to the complex issues at the intersection of climate change, food security, and biodiversity conservation in the ocean.
Agenda
The webinar will feature short talks focusing on different aspects of Food-Climate-Biodiversity challenges.
These will be followed by a Q&A and discussion between the speakers, invited community partners, and seminar participants.
Introduction by William Cheung, Professor and Director, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia
Presenters
Kristin Kleisner, Associate Vice President & Lead Senior Scientist, Oceans Science, Environmental Defense Fund
Kristin leads a team of scientists who are focused on research to understanding the multiple benefits generated by fisheries systems, including food, climate and biodiversity outcomes. She is leading research to investigate the impacts of climate change on the distribution and productivity of fish stocks and understand the implications of these changes for fisheries management systems around the world.
Tiff-Annie Kenny, Laval University
Tiff-Annie is interested in human dependency on biodiversity for nutrition and food security. Her research employs participatory and systems-based methodologies to examine the links between marine environments and human health, with a particular focus on the ecological, environmental, and economic dimensions of Indigenous Peoples food systems.
Ahmed Khan, Chief Fisheries Officer (Coordinator Blue Economy Flagship) at African Development Bank Group
Ahmed is trained in fisheries economics and trade, global seafood value chains, coastal governance and global change. He specializes in applied research, policy and strategy formulation, and decision support tools on natural resource management, food and nutriution security, spatial economics, climate change, and institutional responses within the blue economy. He oversees and manages the Bank’s portfolio on Fisheries and blue economy related investmnents in the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department.
Joachim Claudet, Senior Researcher & Ocean Advisor, National Center for Scientific Research
Joachim specializes in linked social-ecological research at the land-sea interface, using place-based case studies to inform management or meta-analyzes to impact policy. He is interested in research that helps design environmental assessments, implement management plans, build indicators and develop decision-making tools.
Discussant, U. Rashid Sumaila, Professor and Director of the Fisheries Economics Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia
This webinar is organized by the project: Solving the Sustainability Challenges at the Food-Climate-Biodiversity Nexus (Solving-FCB) and hosted by the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, The University of British Columbia.
Co-directed, by Prof. William Cheung and U. Rashid Sumaila, Solving-FCB, is a six-year partnership initiative funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada). Its primary goal is to support and facilitate the development of viable solutions to the interconnected challenges of food security, climate mitigation, and biodiversity conservation, taking into account their complex social and ecological contexts.The partnership brings together world-leading scholars and practitioners from academic institutes, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, and government agencies. They engage in transdisciplinary research that examines policies and human actions at the intersection of achieving the aforementioned goals. The project is structured around five case studies from Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ghana/Nigeria, and the Netherlands, focusing on FCB challenges under a range of societal and environmental contexts. These case studies aim to elucidate specific policy-related questions and explore visions and pathways to achieve FCB goals.
*Zoom information will be provided after RSVP.
