UBC Robson Square, June 15, 2017
- Good evening. I am Santa Ono, 15th president & vice-chancellor, UBC. Also, chief advisor, BC Innovation Network.
- Wearing two hats tonight:
- as the leader of a university that is at the forefront of clean tech innovation in Canada
- In my role as The Chief Advisor I work with the Premier’s Technology Council to build relationships, make linkages and provide a forum to support innovation in the provincial economy.
- Very pleased to be here as a member of this distinguished panel
- Would like to start with a personal reflection on the importance of climate change mitigation:
- A few weeks ago, my wife Wendy and I took some friends from Cincinnati on a tour around Vancouver
- We visited Stanley Park, Sunset Beach, Jericho Beach and other attractions.
- Along with thousands of others, we were able to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of Vancouver’s ocean-side setting.
- It was an amazing experience and I was grateful to be able to enjoy it
- But for how long will we be able to enjoy such experiences?
- According to the City of Vancouver’s Green Vancouver website, a one-metre rise in sea level will turn Stanley Park into an island,
- And forget about shopping at the Granville Island Public Market – it’ll be under water.
- Of course, the effects of global warming will be much more devastating than just the loss of Stanley Park and Granville Island. Less affluent nations will suffer far more than we will. Millions of people around the world will lose their homes; natural environments will be devastated, and much more. The world may never recover.
- It is possible to avoid that fate.
- Clean tech is part of the solution. But only part, as I will explain shortly.
- My own university, UBC, has a long and significant history of sustainability research and practice.
- Research into sustainability, renewable energy, climate change mitigation and other environmental areas is taking place at both our campuses and in every faculty and school – from Architecture to Zoology and everything in between – whether Land and Food Sciences, Biology, Forestry or Fisheries.
- Other universities and institutions throughout BC can boast of similar efforts
- My role as Chief Advisor is to help facilitate coordination between those efforts – and those of companies such as Jonathan’s. Because if we are to achieve the goal of carbon negative, we need a concerted effort, with the full backing of government, industry and academia. And I look forward to discussing how we can do that tonight.
- But I need to conclude by pointing out that clean tech alone will not be enough.
- We cannot depend on engineering or scientific miracles alone to save us
- We need to decrease our demand for energy.
- This will require a major shift in attitudes and behavior away from our current consumption-oriented lifestyle
- Combined with the promise of clean tech, maybe then we can avoid the calamity of global warming.
- Thank you.