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Home / Speeches and Announcements / 2017 / June / 26 / Sustainability & Research Universities in the Asia-Pacific

Sustainability & Research Universities in the Asia-Pacific

June 26, 2017

Association of Pacific Rim Universities, panel discussion

  • Thanks to moderator Ana Mari Cauce
  • Honoured to be on a panel with such distinguished panelists, Helen Clark, Ian Jacobs, Yong-Hak Kim, Damon Salesa
  • Thanks to Helen Clark for her insightful remarks on UN sustainable goals and the Pacific
  • Sustainability is more important than ever – as shown by the world reaction to the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accord
  • Universities have an important role to play in the battle against climate change and putting the world on a more sustainable path
  • Can’t work in isolation – researchers from institutions around the world must come together to collaborate
  • Note that UW and UBC recently came together in Cascadia Urban Analytics Cooperative – example of Pacific universities working together to solve the world’s challenges
  • That level of cooperation crucial to solve the pressing issue of climate change and sustainability
  • UBC prepared to do its part
  • UBC has a long and significant history of sustainability research and practice
  • From the invention of the concept of the carbon footprint to the building of Canada’s tallest wood-frame building
  • 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.
  • We offer more than 500 sustainability related courses. Almost 15 percent of our faculty members are involved in sustainability research.
  • We have set ourselves an ambitious – but achievable – target of a 100 percent reduction in greenhouse gasses by the year 2051. Already we have reduced emissions by 33 percent compared to 10 years ago.
  • And UBC is just one member in a global network of post-secondary institutions that have turned their campuses into research, development and demonstration sites for sustainable behavior, infrastructure and community.
  • I am optimistic that, by working together, the universities of the Pacific Rim can play a significant role in mitigating the effects of climate change
  • Thank you

 

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