Institute for Environmental Studies 2002-03 Annual Report.Pdf
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Institute for Environmental Studies University of Toronto 2002/03 ANNUAL REPORT IES online: Environews: www.utoronto.ca/env/ies www.utoronto.ca/env/envnews.htm The IES web site offers up-to-date information on faculty and Available on the web and in hardcopy, this newsletter highlights student research, events, publications, program and course news of IES and the University of Toronto environmental offerings. community. It features articles on faculty and student research, events, publications, courses, and awards. Institute for Environmental Studies Earth Sciences Centre (ESC), 33 Willcocks St., Suite 1016V University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E8 fax: 416-978-3884 Director Acting Director, Rodney White Adaptation and Impacts Research Group Rm. 1021 ESC, 416-978-6526, [email protected] Don MacIver Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada Associate Director, Research 4905 Dufferin St., Downsview, Ont M3H 5T4 Viriginia Maclaren tel: 416-739-4271, fax: 416-739-4297, [email protected] Geography, Rm. 5062 Sidney Smith Hall, 100 St. George St., 416-978-1594, [email protected] Communications and Director’s Assistant Mona El-Haddad Graduate Coordinator, Rm. 1016V ESC, 416-978-6526, [email protected] Environmental Studies Graduate Program Andy Kenney Business Officer Rm. 1019 ESC, 416-978-0474, [email protected] Laurane Harding Rm. 1016V ESC, 416-978-2584, [email protected] Associate Director, Environment & Health Director, Environment & Health Graduate Program Graduate Student Advisor Frances Silverman Donna Workman Gage Occupational & Environmental Health Unit 223 College St., tel: 416-978-5883, fax: 416-978-2608 Rm. 1022 ESC, 416-978-7077, [email protected] [email protected] October 2003. Edited and designed by Mona El-Haddad. All photos by Mona El-Haddad except where noted. 20 ON THE COVER Our cover features the Lambton power plant, one of the Ontario Power Generation’s coal-fired TOP: 22 power plants and a power Waste-Econ generating wind turbine onToronto’s lakeshore. The wind Program: clean turbine was installed by Windshare, a project developed by up of Vietnam’s the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative. Halong Bay. Photos by Jesse Gibb (left) and John Wellner (right) RIGHT: submitted to Ontario Clean Air Alliance. China Carbon Sequestration Project: fieldwork led by Sean Thomas. Contents 2 Director’s Foreword 28 Meetings Learning to live with climate change Lessons learned from Walkerton: Meeting with Justice O’Connor Research Directions Environmental Finance 2004 conference 3 Academic Programs Graduate Programs 29 Seminars Environmental Studies series Web-based distance education: Certificate in Environmental Environment and Health series Management Special research seminars 4 Courses & Instructors 30 Students IES 1002H: Poster session Graduate Environmental Students’ IES 1707H: Environmental Finance Association (GESA) 32 Environmental Studies 6 Environmental Program Information 2002/03 Graduates and students Environmental Information Office: Research profile: Chris Gore U of T’s environmental activities online Research profile: James Gray-Donald Research profile: Martin Kijazi 7 Administrative Staff Research profile: Levi Waldron Judy Wilson retires after 25 years at IES 36 Environment & Health 28 Program 8 Faculty 2002/03 Graduates and students Research profile: Heather Jones-Otazo Graduate Faculty 37 Awards 9 Research Profiles George Langford Prize 18 Books John Brown Prize Sperrin Chant Award in Toxicology Labatt Fellowships 19 Research Cressy Leadership Awards 19 Cuba: Capacity Building for Climate Change 30 20 Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia: Waste-Econ Program 22 China: TOP: Carbon sequestration project Commissioner of the Walkerton enquiry, Justice Sustainable water management Dennis O’Connor (middle) for Beijing-Tianjin region invited to meet with U of T researchers. 24 Integrated Mapping Assessment Project RIGHT: Environmental Career Day 25 Adaptation and Impacts Research Group and Exposition. DIRECTOR’S FOREWORD Learning to live with climate change by Rodney White, Director The struggle to comprehend the Po has run dry and power stations have implications of climate change is partly been shut down for lack of cooling water. scientific, partly ideological and partly Meanwhile, West Nile fever, an insect-born experiential. It is the scientific dimension disease of tropical origin, is spreading that is the easiest to understand despite the through North America. considerable uncertainties surrounding the Despite scientific uncertainty, an regional implications and the rate of ideological predisposition to dismiss the change. Uncertainties about the speed with threat, and a tendency to rely on personal, which the climate will change are largely a localised experience to make a global function of the speed of the human judgement, a consensus is emerging. response to mitigate the threat by taking Climate change is real and is already decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas forcing us to reconsider our actions at emissions. every level, from the individual to the The ideological dimension of the varied international. In the words of the report of pattern of response has been implicit for the Carbon Disclosure Project: “Investors some time. Some European countries have failing to take account of climate change been electing green party candidates for and carbon finance issues in their asset several years and some have participated in allocation and equity valuations may be coalition governments. Environmental exposed to significant risks which, if left quality is a mainstream issue that is of unattended, will have serious investment concern almost across the traditional in where the line has been drawn. repercussions over the course of time” ideological spectrum. Thus, it is not Likewise the experiential dimension can (Whittaker et al., 2003; 2). surprising that European insurance be quite mixed. Ontario has just companies have taken the lead is experienced a cold winter for the first time References cited: Mills, E., Lecomte, E. and A. Peara. 2001. U.S. Insurance advocating the need for significant in 4 years followed by a cool, wet spring Industry Perspectives on Global Climate Change. mitigation efforts. In the United States, and a cool, wet July. In comparison Europe Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley. where even the insurance industry has been has been wracked by heat waves; July Rabe, B. G. 2002. Greenhouse and Statehouse. The Evolving State Government Role in Climate Change. Pew Center sceptical about the issue, a recent survey brought a major storm in western France on Global Climate Change, Alrington. suggested that behind the expressed (in which several campers were killed and Whittaker, M., Kiernan, M. and P. Dickinson. 2003. Carbon Finance and the Global Equity Markets. The Carbon scepticism about the science was a negative injured), and a forest fire swept much of Disclosure Project. New York, Innovest Strategic Value association of all environmental issues with Provence. There has been a drought in Advisors. Further information on the Project - including the hated Superfund legislation and a northern Italy and Switzerland. The River many company responses - is available at suspicion of anything associated with the www.cdproject.net United Nations, such as UNEP and the IPCC (Mills, Lecomte and Peara, 2001). Research However, although the federal government has withdrawn the United States from the Kyoto process, there is widespread activity Directions at the state level ranging from carbon by Virginia Maclaren, sequestration from minimum tillage Associate Director, Research (Nebraska) to credits for providing electricity from renewable sources (Texas) IES has a thriving multi-disciplinary (Rabe, 2002). Even Exxon Mobil - once environmental research program that is the staunchest supporter of the Climate tackling a wide range of topics, both Change Coalition, the anti-Kyoto lobby internationally and in Canada. The newest group - has recently promised $100m to research project is a CIDA-funded project Stanford University for research into led by Beth Savan that is developing a climate change. Even more recently the climate action plan for Cuba (see page 19). Carbon Disclosure Project published its Other active research projects include: first report on activities being undertaken sustainable water management in China to address climate-related risks by the (page 23), carbon sequestration in China (pages 22-23), waste management in Vietnam, FT500 companies. The Project was Cambodia and Laos (pages 20-21), and integrated mapping assessment in Canada (page supported by “pension funds, fund 24). Environment Canada's Adaptation and Impacts Research (AIR) Group, which has managers and insurance companies who resident members at IES, continues to make a substantial contribution to IES research jointly represented assets in excess of $4.5 with ten projects underway or completed during the last year (page 25). Planning is trillion” (Whittaker et al., 2003). Thus, almost complete for another major initiative at IES, which will be the hosting of a although an ideological dimension does conference on Environmental Finance in 2004 (page 28). The conference will target remain behind attitudes toward climate Chief Financial Officers at large resource-based companies. change, there has been a considerable shift 2 2002/03 Annual Report Institute for Environmental Studies ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Graduate Programs Research topics, awards and profiles