TORONTO, Nov. 23, 2015 − The upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (Nov. 30 to Dec. 11) aims to achieve a new international agreement that would keep global warming below 2°C.

York University experts are available for comment on a variety of key issues including climate change and its environmental effects, the progress of international negotiations and impact on Canadian policy making, as well as ethical considerations related to damage and loss due to climate change.

Mark Winfield, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, can comment on: climate change and energy policy; fossil fuels; renewable energy; nuclear energy; and the impact of international negotiations and commitments on domestic policy making and federal-provincial relations.

Dawn Bazely, Professor in the Faculty of Science, can comment on: climate change and climate change policy; impact of climate change on ecosystems; and the impact of climate change on biodiversity and invasive species.

Jose Etcheverry, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, can comment (in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French) on: climate policy, international climate negotiations and development considerations; sustainable energy solutions; international and national renewable energy policies; carbon pricing strategies, fossil fuel policy; coal phase-out initiatives; national and international wind and solar power strategies to address energy autonomy, climate security and environmental pollution.

Idil Boran, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, has attended the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) since 2012 and will be an observer in Paris. She can comment on: the state of the negotiations and outcome of the talks; the points of disagreement around equity; Canada’s role in the talks; and the amount of emphasis in the negotiations on the effects of climate change in developing countries, including loss and damage. She will be available in advance in Toronto, on site in Paris, and by Skype.

Andrew Medeiros, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and a scientific advisor on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity, Arctic Council, can comment on: climate change and its influence on Northern Peoples; influence of climate change on water quantity and quality in circumpolar regions; and understanding the effects of climate change on freshwater ecosystems.

Carla Lipsig-Mumme, Professor of work and labour studies in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, and director of the Adapting Canadian Work and Workplaces to Respond to Climate Change research project, can comment on: the state and climate action; the impact of climate change on employment and the world of work; environmental and labour market policies; reducing greenhouse gases through work; environmental responsibility and young unionists; new legal activism and government inactivity on global warming.

Dayna Nadine Scott, Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, can comment on: environmental law and policies; international environmental governance; regulation of the resource sectors in Canada; oil pipelines; and long-term regulation and impact of toxins in the environment.

Gus Van Harten, Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School and an expert in investment law and foreign investment, can comment on:  protecting countries from climate change lawsuits by oil companies; investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS); ISDS lawsuits and arbitration; multilateral negotiations; language for an ISDS carve-out; and foreign investor rights.

David Etkin, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies, can comment on: natural disasters related to climate change; emergency management and risk reduction; heat and cold waves; government investment to make communities more sustainable.

Christian Haas, Professor in the Lassonde School of Engineering, and Canada Research Chair in Arctic Sea Ice Geophysics, can comment on: the retreat of Arctic sea ice and impact of ice thinning; the consequences of ice decline for the climate; Northern residents; ecosystem; Arctic shipping and offshore operations; the Canadian Arctic, Antarctica and Greenland.

Sheila Colla, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, can comment on: climate change impact on bees; endangered species; environmental policy; sustainable agriculture; pesticides; consequences of habitat loss and lack of pollination.

Sapna Sharma, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Science, can comment on: understanding the effects of climate change on lakes (e.g., water quality, lake ice dynamics, fish habitat, and freshwater fish populations).

Peter Taylor, Professor in the Lassonde School of Engineering, can comment on: wind and solar energy.

*For more York University experts on topics in the news, please consult our new Experts Guide.

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Media Contacts:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101, wallsj@yorku.ca
Gloria Suhasini, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22094, suhasini@yorku.ca