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Effects of climate change on the distribution of invasive alien species in Canada: a knowledge synthesis of range change projections in a warming world

Published by

Published January 19, 2012

by hdrdla

THEME: Science Policy Gap, Climate Change

TITLE: Effects of climate change on the distribution of invasive alien species in Canada: a knowledge synthesis of range change projections in a warming world

AUTHOR(S): Andrea L. Smith, Nina Hewitt, Nicole Klenk, Dawn R. Bazely, Norman Yan, Stepan Wood, Irene Henriques, James I. MacLellan, Carla Lipsig-Mummé

JOURNAL: Environmental Reviews

DATE: January 19, 2012

TAGS: climate change, invasive species, range, distribution, knowledge synthesis, global change

ABSTRACT: The interactive effects of climate change and invasive alien species (IAS) pose serious threats to biodiversity, ecosystems and human well-being worldwide. In particular, IAS are predicted to experience widespread changes in distribution in response to climate change, with many expanding their ranges into new areas. However, the two drivers of global change are seldom considered together in policy and management. We conducted a knowledge synthesis to assess the state of research on IAS range shifts under climate change in Canada. We found that the study of IAS distribution changes caused by climate change is a relatively new field of inquiry that integrates research in the areas of ecology, conservation biology, and environmental sciences. The multidisciplinary dimensions of the issue are largely overlooked in the scholarly literature, with most studies having a purely natural science perspective. Very little original research has occurred in the field to date; instead literature reviews are common. Research focuses on modeling range changes of current IAS threats, rather than predicting potential future IAS threats. The most commonly studied IAS already occur in Canada as native species that have spread beyond their range (e.g., lyme disease, mountain pine beetle, smallmouth bass) or as established invaders (e.g., gypsy moth). All of these IAS are expected to expand northward with climate change, resulting in widespread negative impacts on forest and freshwater biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and public health. Many barriers to predicting IAS range change under climate change are identified in the literature, including the complexity of the issue, lack of ecological data, and failure to integrate climate change – IAS interactions into research, policy, and management. Recommendations for increased research and monitoring, and the need for policy and management reform predominate in the literature.

LINKS: To view the entire publication, go to http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/a11-020

COPYRIGHT: Copyright © 2012 Environmental Reviews

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Andrea L. Smith, Nina Hewitt, Nicole Klenk, Dawn R. Bazely, Norman Yan, Stepan Wood, Irene Henriques, James I. MacLellan, Carla Lipsig-Mummé.; 2012. “Effects of climate change on the distribution of invasive alien species in Canada: a knowledge synthesis of range change projections in a warming world.”

Posted in: Publications

Climate change invites alien invaders: Is Canada ready?

Published by

Published January 19, 2012

by iris_author

Press Release by York U Media Relations, also released by YFile.

TORONTO, January 19, 2012 – Invasive alien species are on the move in response to a warming climate but Canadian policies designed to manage the problem rarely consider how climate change is ratcheting up the risk, according to York University research published today in the journal Environmental Reviews.

“The interactive effects of climate change and invasive species are expected to have profound consequences for environments, economies and societies worldwide, says lead author Andrea Smith (pictured). “For example, many new infectious diseases will likely spread to theArctic, and coordinated circumpolar disease monitoring and targeted healthcare planning will be needed to handle this new pressure. Yet, these two drivers of global change are rarely considered jointly in policy and management initiatives.”

Smith, now a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology atYorkUniversity, conducted the research review while a senior fellow atYork’s Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS). She and eightYorkUniversityco-authors in fields ranging from science to law and social science to business, reviewed published research on invasive species shifting distributions under climate change to identify gaps in knowledge and research inCanada. Their comprehensive, interdisciplinary review finds that research has tended to focus on predictions of how climate change will affect the distribution of existing invasive species in Canada (including mountain pine beetle, gypsy moth, smallmouth bass and Lyme Disease), rather than on potential invasive species that might expand their range into Canada. Existing research also tends to ignore the socio-economic dimensions of the problem, they found.

There are barriers to predicting changes in the invasive species’ range under climate change, including the complexity of the issue, lack of ecological data, and failure to address the interactions between climate change and invasive species in research and policy. However, scientific knowledge about the impact of climate change on invasive species is growing, Smith says, and can be used as the foundation for policy development.

“This is just another example of how climate change is a big threat multiplier,” notes John P. Smol, editor of Environmental Reviews and professor at Queen’s University where he also holds the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change. “We simply have not even begun to understand all the negative repercussions of this problem.” This synthesis is the first to characterize the current state of knowledge on this critical issue inCanada.

Smith is now conducting a legislative review of invasive species policy in Canada, for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network.

Co-authors on the Environmental Reviews article are Professor Nina Hewitt (IRIS Senior Fellow and York University Department of Geography), Nicole Klenk (IRIS Senior Fellow), Professor Dawn Bazely (IRIS Director and York Department of Biology), Professor Norman Yan (IRIS Core Faculty, York Department of Biology, and Dorset Environmental Science Centre), Professor Stepan Wood (IRIS Acting Director and Osgoode Hall Law School), Professor James MacLellan (IRIS Senior Fellow and York Faculty of Environmental Studies), Professor Carla Lipsig-Mummé (Director of IRIS?affiliated Work in a Warming World program and York Department of Social Science) and Professor Irene Henriques (IRIS Core Faculty member and Schulich School of Business).

The IRIS research team received funding from the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS — www.cfcas.ca), an independent funding body dedicated to supporting research that improves our understanding of climate change impacts on health, safety, economy and environment.

Environmental Reviews, published by NRC Research Press, is an electronic-only quarterly review journal that covers a wide range of important environmental issues, including climate change. www.nrcresearchpress.com/er (available Open Access on the www.nrcresearchpress.com website.)

Media Contact:
Lead author Andrea Smith, geckoals@yorku.ca
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca


IRIS (www.irisyorku.ca) is an interdisciplinary research centre at York University dedicated to pursuing multifaceted approaches to the contemporary challenges of sustainability. It is a focal point for sustainability-related research and action at all ten of York’s faculties. Through collaborative and interdisciplinary research, IRIS strives to push beyond traditional research methods to tackle real-world challenges with unique solutions. It supports sustainability-related research of York faculty members and students and is a leader in trans-disciplinary team-based research.

NRC Research Press, the publishing arm of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) since 1929, transitioned in September 2010 from NRC and the Federal Government of Canada into an independent not-for-profit organization operating under the new name Canadian Science Publishing. Canadian Science Publishing (which continues to operate under the brand NRC Research Press) is the foremost scientific publisher in Canada and one of the most advanced electronic publishing services in the world. With over 50 highly skilled experts and an editorial team comprising some of the world’s leading researchers, NRC Research Press communicates scientific discoveries to more than 175 countries.

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Posted in: IRIS News | News

IRIS Director speaks in McLaughlin talk on the human rights responsibilities of companies

Published by

Published January 12, 2012

by iris_author

Should the human rights responsibilities of companies arise, in part, from their “leverage” – their ability to influence others’ actions through their relationships? Special Representative John Ruggie rejected this proposition in the United Nations Framework for business and human rights.

During the next instalment of the McLaughlin College Lunchtime Talks, taking place today at noon, Osgoode Hall Law School Professor Stepan Wood (left) will argue that leverage is a source of responsibility where there is a morally significant connection between the company and a rights-holder or rights-violator, the company is able to make a contribution to ameliorate the situation. Wood will argue that it can do so at modest cost and the threat to human rights is substantial.

In such circumstances, posits Wood, companies have a responsibility to exercise leverage even though they did nothing to contribute to the situation. He argues that such responsibility is qualified, not categorical; graduated, not binary; context-specific; practicable; consistent with the social role of business; and not merely a negative responsibility to avoid harm but a positive responsibility to do good.

Wood teaches climate change law, environmental law and property law. He is editor-in-chief of the Osgoode Hall Law Journal and acting director of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS). His research focuses on corporate social responsibility, sustainability, globalization, transnational private governance, voluntary standards, climate change and environmental law.

Wood is currently directing an interdisciplinary research project on the dynamics of interaction among transnational business governance initiatives in fields as diverse as accounting standards and sustainable forestry certification. He is co-author with Stephen Clarkson of A Perilous Imbalance: The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance (2010, shortlisted for the Donald Smiley award for best book on Canadian politics), co-editor of Climate Law and Developing Countries (2009) and co-editor of Environmental Law for Sustainability (2006). He is founder and co-chair of the Willms & Shier Environmental Law Moot for Canadian law schools.

Wood’s talk is hosted by the McLaughlin College Master’s Office. It will take place today from noon to 1:30pm in the McLaughlin Senior Common Room, 140 McLaughlin College. All talks are free and open to the public.

Posted in: IRIS News | News

York rated greenest university in Canada

Published by

Published January 12, 2012

by iris_author

The following appeared in the Tuesday, January 10th 2012 edition of YFile.

York University has ranked first among Canadian universities in a global campus sustainability survey and 14th in the world. This is the second year in a row that York has ranked No. 1 in Canada.

The 2011 UI GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities rated participating universities in 42 countries based on criteria such as energy consumption, commuting practices, waste and water management, percentage of green space on campus, and the application of eco-sustainability policies and efforts.

“York University continues to strive to be at the forefront of sustainability strategies,” said York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. “Our first place ranking in Canada by the GreenMetric World University Ranking demonstrates that we are committed to enhancing our environmentally and socially responsible practices for the benefit of all members of our community."

The University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom placed first overall in the ranking, while Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut from the United States placed second and third.

From 2006 to 2011, York University has met or bettered its sustainability targets, all while increasing enrolment and adding new buildings to both the Keele and Glendon campuses.

“This is testament to the excellent work of students, faculty and staff on sustainability issues here at York”, said Professor Ilan Kapoor, chair of the President’s Sustainability Council. “This is only the beginning, and clearly demonstrates that we are on the right track.”

York’s recent achievements in the area of sustainability include:

  • The design and construction of seven campus buildings to green building standards in the last 10 years, including the Lassonde Building which was one of the first ‘green’ buildings constructed in Ontario. This, along with the Yorkwise program that has guided the retrofitting of lighting, heating, cooling and water fixtures in older buildings, has enabled the University to achieve a 20 per cent reduction in energy usage between 2007 and 2010, totaling over 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity over three years – enough energy to power both Keele and Glendon campuses for 240 days.
  • A 50 per cent reduction in single occupancy vehicle use by the York community over the past 10 years. Currently, approximately two thirds of York community members commute to campus by environmentally preferable means, including walking, cycling, public transit and carpooling. York also operates a free campus shuttle service, offers a discount on public transit passes and awards incentives to carpoolers. Cyclists can make use of bike racks, indoor monitored bike parking and shower facilities.
  • A 70 per cent increase in waste diversion rates between 2004 and 2010, resulting in more than 10 million kilograms of recyclable and compostable materials being diverted from landfills. Over the past year, York’s ZeroWaste program has increased food waste composting by approximately 20 per cent and significant increases were also found in the recycling of building materials and furnishings, with a 50 per cent increase in scrap wood and a 45 per cent increase in scrap metal recycling.

York University also offers a broad curriculum of sustainability programs, with over 350 undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on environment and sustainability across several Faculties including Environmental Studies, Education, Science & Engineering, the Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School.

“Effective sustainable practices reduce University costs, and will result in the legacy of a better environment for current and future generations, so the University is committed to the principles of sustainability, both in the classroom and across all aspects of campus operations,” said Richard Francki, assistant vice-president of Campus Services & Business Operations. “We will continue to enhance our environmental management practices to ensure that York maintains its leadership in campus sustainability in Canada.”

In light of this commitment, the President’s Sustainability Council is advancing a number of new initiatives such as the Sustainability Ambassadors and Green Office programs, both of which will be launched in early 2012. These initiatives will actively engage the York community in further achieving the University’s sustainability goals through a number of activities and learning opportunities.  

For more information on sustainability initiatives at York, visit the President's Sustainability Council website, or send an email to sustainability@yorku.ca.

Submitted by Andrew Plunkett, sustainability project coordinator, and Pavel Graymason, sustainability engagement coordinator, in the Office of the President.

Posted in: News | Sustainability News

Student delegates report on UN Climate Change Conference

Published by

Published January 12, 2012

by iris_author

The following appeared in the Wednesday, January 11th edition of YFile.

In December, two York graduate students attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa as non-voting delegates with observer status.

On Thursday, Ewa Modlinska, an MES student in environmental studies, and Alex Todd, an MA candidate in geography, will share their observations on the COP 17 Debrief panel, in 120E Stedman Lecture Hall from 3 to 5pm.

Right: York delegates, from left, MES student Ewa Modlinska, Curtis Kuunuaq Konek and Jordan Konek from the Arviat Youth Project, and MA student Alex Todd

The COP 17 Debrief panel is hosted by York’s Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability, which successfully applied for delegate status to the conference on behalf of York University in 2009, and sponsored Modlinska and Todd.

Modlinska will speak about the importance of listening at international climate change conferences. It is the topic of her fourth and final blog posted about the conference.

COP 17 is short for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Established in 1992, it meets annually to set intergovernmental frameworks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. COP 17 took place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9.

Modlinska went back and forth between the official conference inside and meetings organized by NGOs and other interest groups outside. She heard “a plurality of voices bringing different perspectives to the issue of climate change.” Official delegates focused on equity and development rights, while the protesters stressed climate justice, she said. “The biggest problem,” she told YFile, “was that there was not enough interaction between inside and outside.” Inside, they were proposing market-based mechanisms to mitigate climate change, profit-based solutions opposed by those outside.

Todd spent most of his time with protesters, so will have a different perspective on the conference, says Modlinska.

On the panel with her and Todd will be three others. Youth delegate April Dutheil attended the conference to set up a booth about how climate change is affecting Arviat, her home on the shores of Hudson Bay. From the Faculty of Environmental Studies, Professor Ellie Perkins specializes in globalization and the environment, and postdoctoral fellow Rachel Hirsch, in climate change and food insecurity in the North.

If you cannot attend the panel discussion, join the conversation online.

Posted in: IRIS News | News

The Importance of ‘Listening’ in International Climate Change Conferences

Published by

Published January 10, 2012

by iris_author

This blog is cross-published and also available on the CC-RAI website: http://www.climateconsortium.ca/

As a graduate student from York University, I had the opportunity to attend the United Nations’ Conference of Parties (COP17) in Durban, South Africa this December. The experience helped me understand that climate justice is about knowing when to stop talking and start listening. It is about humility and creating institutional opportunities for the people who are most affected by climate change to voice their concerns.

During a COP17 protest, I sat down under a tree beside a group of rural women from Northern Cape, South Africa. They were tired, hungry, and thirsty from protesting all day, but they were there to fight for agricultural and land reform. I have tried to understand their cause, but I was left confused by their passion and determination for climate justice. My situation was a lot more different than theirs: I live a relatively comfortable life in Canada as a student researching climate change policies. I do not know what it means to have limited opportunities when your family goes hungry because of a shortage of food caused by climate change. I went to South Africa with a desire to better understand the Conference of Parties as a policy platform. However, I have quickly learned to stop asking pre-determined questions and just start listening. My lesson in the importance of listening can further be applied to the new ways that climate justice can be incorporated into the institutional structure of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the many programs that are part of this greater scheme.

The current market-based approach in the UNFCCC to regulate greenhouse gases is supported by some and opposed by others. An interesting aspect of COP17 was how these different opinions were concentrated in different physical locations. The physical structure of COP17 in South Africa can be divided into three main physical spaces. There was the Durban Exhibition Centre, which has over two hundred information booths from various research institutes, NGOs, and private companies; this was also the location of various panel discussions on the technicalities of UN’s programs as well as discussions on private and public involvement. The official place for governmental negotiations on international climate change initiatives was the International Conference Centre. In these two spaces there was very little opposition, with the exception of a number of civil society groups such as GreenPeace and the Canadian Youth Delegation, against a market-based approach in mitigating climate change.

The third location, a park called the “speakers corner”, became a public space where people from different parts of the world would gather to express their dissatisfaction with carbon markets and governmental inaction. The plurality of voices in this space provided different opinions on what can be considered adequate and realistic action on climate change. That said, the majority of protesters were against a profit-based approach and were either calling for more participatory, accountable, and transparent UN climate negotiations or the disposal of the current process and the establishment of a new system that would be based on peoples-solutions to climate change. I believe that there is space for both - the governmental and peoples-driven approaches to climate change - but the key to success is greater interaction between these two systems.

A recognized advantage for the majority of the world’s population during COP17, relative to other COPs, was that this conference took place on African soil. This presented an opportunity for many civil society people from Africa and Asia to be able to attend this international conference and place ‘climate justice’ on center stage by either protesting or participating in panel discussions. ‘Climate justice’ is based on the understanding that industrialized countries such as Canada and the United States are historically responsible for the current climate crises whereas ‘developing’ countries and lower-income communities (including communities in the ‘developed’ world) will be most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  (1992) the ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ principle was introduced to outline that both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries needed to introduce different measures to combat climate change as per their different responsibilities and capacities. This principle is arguably being eroded by the pressures of certain big players such as United States and Canada to incorporate ‘developing’ countries into a legally-binding climate agreement while refusing to provide adequate financial support to help developing countries develop their economies sustainably. Placing a greenhouse gas emissions’ cap on certain developing countries would limit their economic development. For this reason, a number of developing countries, including India, have been very vocal about ‘equity’ and ‘right to development’ during COP17 and in future international climate negotiations. The ‘climate justice’ slogan became a common sight and chant during COP17 protests. What does ‘climate justice’ mean now after the signing of the Durban deal where countries have agreed to move forward with a legally binding agreement that will incorporate the ‘developing’ world?

‘Climate justice’ in future COPs should be about creating the right institutional opportunities for those who are currently lacking the space to voice their concerns and propose their different solutions. In short, ‘climate justice’ is about recognizing that industrialized countries have a circumstantial privilege in not only dealing with climate-change impacts but also during climate change negotiations at the United Nations level. Countries such as Canada and the United States need to learn when to stop talking and start listening. Although COP17 proved to be the fertile ground to explore the realities of many developing countries that are already being disproportionately affected by climate change, the institutional structure and negotiation climate at COP17 did not place enough emphasis on the importance of listening. The official delegates were in Durban to represent their government’s perspective and their national interests. However, it must be recognized that it is in their interests to hear what others, including the protesters, have to say about climate change. The protesting of many people from around the world on climate change was often categorized as unrealistic and unpractical opinions. But the conversations that happened at protests contain valuable information on how to approach ‘climate justice’ in international climate change policy and should inform the future development of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. ‘Climate justice’ is about meaningful dialogue between developed and developing countries, private and public sector representatives, and the national delegates and the people.

 

Posted in: Blogs | Students Speak | Turning Up the Heat

COP-17 DeBrief

Published by

Published January 4, 2012

by iris_author

On January 12th, 2012, IRIS will be hosting a debriefing of COP-17 with the delegation from York University and the youth delegation from Nanisiniq: Arviat History Project to share their experiences at this year’s COP talks in Durban, South Africa. York University delegates include Ewa Modlinska who is completing her Masters in Environmental Studies and Alex Todd, MA candidate in the Department of Geography. In addition, the panel will be joined by Associate Professor Ellie Perkins and Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Hirsch from the Faculty of Environmental Studies who have expertise in this area. The youth delegation from the Arviat History Project will be represented by April Dutheil, a social advocate and researcher on the issues of the Canadian North. The debrief is an open disscussion and participation from the audience is welcomed.

Event Details

COP-17 Debriefing

Date: January 12, 2012

Time: 3pm to 5pm

Location: Stedman Lecture Halls (SLH) Room 120E at York University, Keele Campus

If you cannot attend in person, you can still join us electronically at http://connect.yorku.ca/cop17debrief

Recording

View the recording of this event: http://connect.yorku.ca/p29713350/

 

Posted in: Events

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