I would like to announce a new Canadian organization for academics that originates out of McGill University and that is inclusive of universities across Canada. We are developing a Canadian academic consensus on solutions for climate change. The following excerpts from our concept note explain the initiative.
Sustainable Canada Dialogues (SCD) aims to propose a range of science-based and viable policy options that could motivate change to help Canada in the necessary transition to more sustainable development. Through the mobilization of scientific expertise the initiative targets the identification of positive solutions to overcome obstacles to sustainability.
The recognition that the well-being of the Earth's ecological systems is indispensable to human well-being has grown among scientific communities, and society in general. The time has come to focus on possible solutions to stimulate change and act upon threats to these systems.
Canada is currently building a sustainability deficit in comparison with other developed societies that have been more proactive in addressing environmental issues. In light of the upcoming Federal election and the Paris International Climate Conference, the year 2015 offers a historic opportunity for Canada to reorient its trajectory and to join the transition to sustainability. The Sustainable Canada Dialogues is our effort to meet this challenge.
Activities of the Sustainable Canada Dialogues include:
(1) Mobilizing scholarly expertise: The SCD mobilizes over 50 Canadian scholars of a wide range of expertise, from engineers to sociologists, to identify sustainability solutions, taking into account biodiversity protection, freshwater quality, climate change mitigation and social justice. A solutions blueprint will be published in the March/April issue 2015 of Alternatives Journal (
http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/).
(2) Fostering public discussion: Using "visioning" to encourage reflection on the future and what will be left to the next generation. Canadians hopes for the future will be articulated, and will help to verify that proposed solutions coincide with the desires of Canadians.
(3) Communicating solutions of sustainable development: Reaching outside of the academic sphere through public outreach to contribute to the important debate on future development of Canada. SCD scholars aim to discuss and incite action with government and policy-makers, media, NGO's and the public through a variety of public events.
The Sustainable Canada Dialogues is being developed through the support of the McGill-UNESCO Chair Dialogues on Sustainability, and of the Trottier Institute for Science and Public Policy.
Coordinator: Prof. Catherine Potvin (McGill University)Facebook: Dialogues on Sustainability
Twitter: dialogSustainab / #dialogSustainab
Email:
dialogue.biology@mcgill.caWe are running events across the country at universities to announce the "coming out" of Sustainable Canada Dialogues. As I am one of the organizers for the Ontario event, occurring in Toronto at Ryerson University, I would like to invite all Academy of Management scholars who are concerned about climate change, as we are, to join us. We have limited seating available so, sign up soon at the link below that also provides event information:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/peoples-climate-forum-toronto-tickets-12844124121As we have more confirmed information, we will also add it to this registration site, so stay tuned!
We are running these events on September 21st to coincide the the People's Climate March in New York City:
http://peoplesclimate.org/march/. We expect that Toronto will have a similar march and we are trying to time our event to allow attendees to go to the march. These events are leading up to the United Nations Climate Summit on September 23rd
http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/