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North by Northwest

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Saoyú-?ehdacho, two peninsulas on Great Bear Lake

Saoyú-?ehdacho, two peninsulas on Great Bear Lake

It's been a year since I last posted to the IRIS blog, my many apologies. However, this past year has also been extremely productive in terms of my research-oriented work in the Northwest Territories.

From September to May, I worked as a coordinator at the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy Secretariat. Seen by many as a groundbreaking process that is slowly and methodically laying the basis for a system of protected areas in the Mackenzie River Valley region, the ten-year-old NWTPAS witnessed the establishment of its first protected area -- Saoyú-?ehdacho -- this past summer. Oddly enough, but not surprising, my work centered around the communications end of things, as I rebuilt the entire website, while shuffling along various documents and publications through the bureaucratic maze that is the territorial, federal, and aboriginal local governments. While the former was sometimes frustrating but ultimately satisfying in its final execution, the latter gave me a glimpse into the mechanisms of governance that exist in the NWT. Regardless, I had a great time working with the folks of Wildlife Division and Environmental and Natural Resources, GNWT.

At the same time, I also worked part-time for the Arctic Health Research Network, now the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research who I joined as a full-time senior staff in May. Indeed, it seems fated that with over 15 years of similar positions (Including IRIS!), information technology serving university-level research will always be part of my life and work sphere. As such, ICHR will probably become my base where I will have the chance to lead research initiatives in the NWT and possibly even the greater circumpolar world.Very exciting!

Anyways, I do invite York researchers to think about the NWT when they plot out their research projects. Drop me a line!

“Whatever happened to the paperless office, anyway?”

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I was browsing through topics on sustainability on The Global and Mail website and I came across an article describing something with which we have a love/hate relationship: paper.

It passes through our hands at least a dozen times each day, often simultaneously giving us headaches (not to mention paper cuts!). It has the power to give us pain or pleasure (or both). It bridges the gap between hands and minds. We have designed elaborate systems and products for organizing, storing and presenting it. These facts ring particularly true in the office, where paper has virtually become a defining component.

This really makes you wonder: is it a tool in our service, or are we the ones being enslaved?

This article discusses growing initiatives in companies to reduce paper usage (and ultimately, disposal) for environmental, as well as financial reasons. Ironically, despite the rise of technology and the sparkling visions of digital texts, Statistics Canada has found in 2006 "that Canadians' paper consumption 'more than doubled between 1983 and 2003' and that 'the production and use of paper products is at an all-time high'" (Silverman 2009). These statistics, however, need not overshadow the reality of tactics and technologies that are being developed and applied to ease our obsession. In addition to the option of electronic pay statements, companies can now provide Web-based time-sheets (offered by Nexonia, a Toronto company), snail mail by email (Earth Class Mail, in the United States), and a digital archive of a company's paper receipts (Shoeboxed). Here, we must insert another "however"; our generation still clings tightly to these artifacts of our culture. Only 35 per cent of employees at Indigo have subscribed to electronic pay statements. The University of Calgary is still towered by the 20,000-feet stack of paper it produces per year. As much as I cringe at the sight of new pages spilling forth to correct a single word, I cannot yet imagine a world without our fine printed friend. I don't believe there is a need to. Like other issues in sustainability, the first step should be awareness, followed by reduction and moderation. In this vein, the article closes with a more realistic perspective on the situation, proposing the more reasonable goal of shifting to the 'less paper' - rather than 'no paper' - office.

By the way, I found it very interesting, almost touching, to see the dedication of a Xerox executive (François Ragnet) to the future and sustainability of his company's product. His blog, titled The Future of Documents, can be found here.

IPY GAPS Initiative Enters Third Year

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Dawn and Milissa Elliott in Fort Simpson, NT

Dawn and Milissa Elliott in Fort Simpson, NT

The IPY GAPS Initiative is proceeding into its third year with our researchers presenting their findings in various fora.

GAPS is a multi-national, multi-disciplinary initiative that aims to examine the scope and range of human security in the Arctic. GAPS specifically focuses on the impacts of oil and gas activity on climate change and on Arctic peoples, in order to identify and document threats and coping strategies from multiple security perspectives (in both Arctic communities and among Arctic researchers). GAPS aims to deliver this knowledge in cooperation with Arctic communities, to other Arctic communities, and to the human security policy and academic communities.

This past summer, Gunhild Hoogensen, principal investigator and head of the Norwegian team gave a keynote presentation to the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health in Yellowknife, NT. Affiliated student researchers Julia Christensen and Alana Kronstal also presented their GAPS research at the congress while GAPS and IRIS web coordinator Rajiv Rawat served on the organizing committee and secretariat. An audio podcast of Gunhild's speech is available here.

In November, Gabrielle Slowey will be heading up a panel discussion around Oil and Development at the Northern Governance Policy Research Conference, also in Yellowknife. Julia and Alana will also present, along with Yellowknife-based GAPS researcher Jessica Simpson. Rajiv is also part of the secretariat for this conference through his continuing work with the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research in Yellowknife.

For further information, please visit the IPY-GAPS Initiative website.

HOME – we only have one planet

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As illustrated (I hope) by IRIS blogs, You Tube CAN be educational (although I am prepared to bet quite a lot that most people aren't being much educated while logged on to on the site). 

I recently learned from You Tube, that a there is new doc out from photographer extraordinaire, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, called HOME. You can watch HOME on You Tube for a few more days. If you don't know about his book, the Earth from Above, please, do check it out - it's amazing.

Dawn R. Bazely

United Nations General Assembly passes landmark resolution about climate change

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Last Thursday, while in Ottawa, during the 2030 North conference, I turned on the tv to see a beautiful young woman from Palau, with a flower behind her ear, talking about a historic UN General Assembly resolution that was passed on Wednesday. Small island states have been running a campaign about the threat that rising sea levels pose to their security. The link between climate change and the security of many countries was formally recognized. We heard a lot about this issue at our "Ecojustice: How will disenfranchised peoples adapt to climate change?" conference, in April, 2009.

Here's some of the press release:

"Introducing the draft in the Assembly today, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States, Nauru’s representative emphasized that rising oceans could, sooner than previously thought, leave little of that regional group’s already tiny homelands above water unless urgent action was taken. Already, the impact of climate change included inundation of heavily populated coastal areas, loss of freshwater, failure of agriculture and other results of saltwater intrusion.

As a result, resettlement and migration were already occurring and dangers to international peace and security would soon increase, she stressed. The Assembly’s adoption of the text would encourage dealing with climate change in a holistic manner, while demonstrating serious concern for the survival of whole populations and the existence of their lands.

Nicaragua’s representative, speaking before the vote on behalf of the “like-minded group” -- Bahrain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Venezuela -– said the group would join the consensus on the compromise text. In addressing the issue, however, it was vital that Member States, particularly industrialized nations, promote sustainable development, while adhering to the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, and fully implement Agenda 21 and other relevant development commitments.

Following the Assembly’s adoption of the resolution, the representatives of many small island developing States took the floor to underscore the dire nature of the threats that climate change posed to their nations, including the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa and the Maldives.

Palau’s representative said: “We do not carelessly call climate change a security threat. When we are told by scientists to prepare for humanitarian crisis, including exodus, in our lifetimes, how can it be different from preparing for a threat like war?” All United Nations organs, most particularly the Security Council, must act urgently. Under Chapter VI of the Charter, the Council may investigate any dispute or situation that might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions must be the focus, and the goal must be effective, enforceable action to that end."

Dawn R. Bazely

Gwynne Dyer on Climate Wars at 2030 North in Ottawa, 2009

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I have recently been attending loads of conferences and workshops at which climate change is on the agenda. Most of them were permeated by a complete lack of any sense of urgency about what climate change will mean for North Americans in the next 20 years. So, I found Gwynne Dyer's gloom and doom in his talk on Climate Wars, sponsored by WWF, and delivered in conjunction with the 2030 North conference in Ottawa this week, to be very refreshing.  In his presentation on  the state-centred security dimensions of climate change, three main points stuck with me:

1. military generals in the USA are pondering how to deal with forthcoming events such as Florida disappearing when the ice caps melt. This contrasts with what I found when I flew into Ft. Lauderdale for a 2003 conference on invasive plants. I made a point of asking about 10 staff at my hotel whether they were at all worried about the sea level rises that would inevitably accompany the melting ice caps: I should note that I have teaching research into global warming in my ecology courses since 1990.  Without exception, the staff all looked at me as if I had just grown 2 heads!  How times change - at least in some parts of North American society.

2. a retired US General that he interviewed, said that he viewed the potential for nuclear attack during the Cold War as a "low probability, high consequence event" whereas Climate Change (warming) is a "high probability, high consequence event".

3. never mind about the Arctic, northern nations should worry about the nations to the south, where a 2 degree temperature rise (we are now hearing about a 4 degree temperature rise scenario), will mean that crop plants can't grow and survive.  A government that can't feed it's population is unlikely to be stable.

Hmm - the lights in the hotel ballroom where the talk took place were blazing, and I couldn't tell if there were low energy light bulbs - I hoped so.

Dawn R. Bazely

Pistachio’s Heather Reisman – “Buy less. Buy better. Buy forever”

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This past Christmas, I was delighted to find a great range of cards from Pistachio (the latest project of Heather Reisman of Chapters-Indigo). They were "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" cards, which thereby extended the Christmas card-sending season to March.  Plus, they were FSC-branded, 100% post-consumer waste fibre, Soya Ink, powered by Green Energy - Mohawk, Made in Canada.  Yeh!! Every kind of serious sustainability logo, right there. My decade-long lack of enthusiasm for cards has largely been driven by concerns about ecological footprints, as well as time crunches associated with grading 100s of final exams and essays at Christmas and attending untold numbers of "festivals of lights" school celebrations. But, I acknowledge that cards are an important means of staying connected and serve an important social purpose.  These Pistachio cards allowed me to do that, and simultaneously underscore my sustainability message to friends and relatives.

Pistachio was back in my thoughts today, thanks to Jennifer Well's article in the Globe and Mail Business magazine: "It's not easy being Pistachio - Heather Reisman is moving eco-products upscale. But will her aim exceed consumers' reach?" Reisman is quoted as saying: "Buy less. Buy better. Buy forever." Wow!!

Reisman has found that people are willing to pay a 5-15% premium for sustainable, ethically-sourced items.  This compares surprisingly closely with the student responses to question 9 of IRIS' Carbon Offsetting survey, in which just under 50% of those surveyed saying that they would pay 5-10% more for environmentally friendly products.  Only 20% said that they would be willing to pay over a 10% premium.

I wish Pistachio all the best, and recently stocked up on their thank you cards. But what I'd really like to see, and would buy, is a set of cards with the "Buy less. Buy better. Buy forever." slogan emblazoned across the front.

Dawn Bazely

Is there a connection between animal rights and sustainability?

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Her Excellency, Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada's participation in a community feast in Nunavut, in which she helped to gut and eat seal, has ignited a storm of protest from animal rights activists.  As it turns out, I have some experience interacting with our local animal rights activists.  The research that I have done on the ecology of deciduous forests in Ontario in the last 20 years has brought me into contact with people with widely differing knowledge about and values relating to animals, including animal rights activists opposed to the reduction of high deer densities in small forest patches. Consequently, I have developed an interest in the questions of, whether and how, animal rights activists perceive their activism to be related to questions of the environment, climate change and the research fields of animal behaviour.

Here's some of what I have learned:

1.  Animal welfare differs from animal rights.  I am a strong advocate for animal welfare.  At Oxford University, where I did my doctorate on Animal Behaviour in the Zoology Department, I was lucky to get to know Prof. Marion Dawkins, an internationally-recognized expert on animal welfare. Most people that I know agree that the basic principle of animal welfare is a good thing.  As a result of my research experience, I hold, what I am sure many people would consider to be a number of radical opinions about pet ownership.  For example, I  generally disagree with the idea of urban dwellers  owning "working" dogs such collies, because, having worked with these dogs, I have seen what they are bred to do: they actually need huge amounts of exercise and they love to "work" - as in sheep herding, etc. - which they don't get much of as city-dogs.  But, I am not a supporter of animal rights - and I don't think dogs should have the same rights as humans!  This is an important point of clarification early on with animal rights activists.

2.  Most animal rights activists with whom I have spoken, are generally unaware of the broader issues surrounding biodiversity, ecology, ecological footprints and sustainability.  I usually encourage them to kick-start their broadened education by reading the international Convention on Biological Diversity.  In the case where animal rights activists do adopt scientific language, and refer to academic research, I have found that they often end up in similar territory to that which I have observed is occupied by representatives of groups such as climate-change deniers whose funding may be somehow linked to the lobbyists for big oil: their use of the primary and secondary literature is highly selective and biased.

3. There are many inconsistencies between the words and actions of animal rights activists.  Apart from the usual questions that I have, such as, why focus on seals and not cockroaches(?), I have observed that many animal rights activists are quick to accuse others of being disrespectful to them, but are, themselves, very comfortable with making extreme public statements attacking other people's values - such as "shooting a deer is barbaric".  I firmly believe that all voices and views must be brought to the table when it comes to considering sustainability, but, this does not absolve those voices from being held accountable for rude, disruptive and disrespectful behaviour.  Additionally, as an academic, I tend to pay rather less attention to uninformed, idealogically-driven, extreme opinions than to informed, nuanced opinions that take account of grey areas.

Dawn R. Bazely

Sleeping Children Around the World: a sustainable charity

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In a meeting last week, a colleague challenged me that not all academic research is related to sustainability.  "Not so!" I declared. "Sure, you can do very tightly, and narrowly focused research on a very specific topic, that clearly has nothing to do with sustainability. BUT, the minute that you broaden the focus, relate it to the real world and give it an applied aspect, some kind of sustainability facet will, undoubtedly, emerge."  Being me, I then challenged him to name ANY topic of science-based research, and I described the sustainability-aspect of the research.

So - what about SUSTAINABLE charities?  Well, yesterday, I attended the opening of Parkdale Collegiate Institute's 120th Anniversary celebrations.  Parkdale CI is the second oldest high school in Toronto.  After rushing back to Toronto from field work, measuring trees, to make hummus for the school's International Buffet, I checked out various classroom displays.  I was delighted to learn that the school fundraises for the charity, Sleeping Children Around the World.  I had heard about this charity, but did not know anything about them.  The first thing that caught my eye, is that they have zero overhead.  The first question that we have trained our kids to ask of charities, is: "what's your administrative overhead" (my husband works for a charity).  For $35, children are provided with a bed kit - pillow, blanket, malaria netting, if needed, some basic utensils and school supplies, all locally-sourced.  It's all volunteer-driven - no big corporate structure, and is my kind of low-tech, low-budget enterprise that has proven staying power - or sustainability!

That's not to say that the goals of some charities require what may amount to a relatively large and expensive infrastructure to meet their goals.  This is especially true if the goal of their charities is to call for change on a very large scale that requires them to engage with the top levels of well-funded government bureaucrats and international corporations.  It's really important for everyone to understand what kind of activities in this regard, the organizations that they might be supporting, are engaging in.

But, what SCAW mainly demonstrates is how much can be achieved with a little and just how sustainable an idea like this can be.

Dawn R. Bazely

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