Laurier expert alert: Global Climate Strike

Sept. 24, 2019
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – For Global Climate Strike week, Sept. 20 to 27, millions of people from around the world will gather to call for action on climate change. Wilfrid Laurier University is marking Global Climate Strike week with a series of events, including the painting of a new mural on the Waterloo campus.

Laurier has many experts available to speak about topics related to climate change.

Jennifer Baltzer is an associate professor in the Department of Biology and Canada Research Chair in Forests and Global Change. She is an expert on the impacts of environmental change on forest ecosystems, including tropical, temperature and boreal forests and low arctic tundra. She recently co-authored a study showing that wildfires in boreal forests release centuries-old carbon, which has been stored in the soil. Contact: 519.504.5025 or jbaltzer@wlu.ca.

Derek Gray is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology. He’s an expert on the short- and long-term impacts of environmental stressors, including climate change, pollution, acidification and invasive species, on aquatic ecosystems. Contact: dgray@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x2500.

Philip Marsh, professor in Laurier’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and Canada Research Chair in Cold Regions Water Science, is an expert on the effects of climate change on the freshwaters of arctic and subarctic North America. Contact: 519.884.0710 x2856 or pmarsh@wlu.ca.

Professor Robert McLeman of Laurier’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, can speak about Canadian climate policy, particularly in terms of impacts, adaptation and consequences of inaction. He is an expert on the human dimensions of climate change, including the relationship between the environment and human migration, community adaptation to climatic variability and change, and citizen participation in environmental science. He is currently serving as a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change synthesis report on climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation. Contact: 519.884.0710 x2653 or rmcleman@wlu.ca.

William Quinton, associate professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and director of Laurier’s Cold Regions Research Centre, is an expert on the hydrology of cold regions, permafrost and peatlands. He is a researcher and the director of the Scotty Creek Research Station, south of Fort Simpson, N.W.T. The site is located in one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, giving researchers a unique opportunity to study the hydrological and ecological impacts of permafrost thaw. Contact: wquinton@wlu.ca, 519.884.0710 x3281 or 519.635.0210.

Manuel Riemer is a psychology professor and director of both the Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) and the Community, Environment and Justice Research Group. He is an expert on the psychology of sustainability, including global climate change mitigation and resiliency, with a focus on fostering cultures of sustainability, youth engagement in environmental action, and environmental justice. Contact: mriemer@wlu.ca or 519.807.9939.

Andrew Spring is a research associate and an adjunct professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies. His research focuses on issues of food security and the impact of climate change on communities in the Northwest Territories. He works closely with governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and local communities to support the creation of sustainable food systems in the NWT. Contact: aspring@wlu.ca. 

Debora VanNijnatten, associate professor in the departments of Political Science and North American Studies, is an expert on Canada-U.S. relations and environmental and climate change politics and policy. Contact: dvannijnatten@wlu.ca.

Anne Wilson, professor in Laurier’s Department of Psychology, is an expert on motivations for environmentally sustainable behaviour and beliefs about climate change. She can speak about why, despite mounting evidence of the urgency of climate change, many people still fail to act or even accept the science, and what we can do to change that. Contact: 519.884.0710 x3037 or awilson@wlu.ca.         

Brent Wolfe, professor in Laurier’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, is an expert in characterizing the hydrology of lakes and identifying drivers of hydro-ecological change. His research focuses on assessing the impact of changing climatic conditions and industrial development on northern boreal-tundra freshwater landscapes in Canada. Contact: bwolfe@wlu.ca.