Free symposium at VIU

 
Climate change symposium on Nanaimo campus Feb 21st

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the issue of climate change or found yourself dazed and confused by conflicting information?

If so, the Awareness of Climate change through Education and Research (ACER) group invites you to attend “The Future of Climate Change: Navigating the Science in a Changing Political Climate” – a one day symposium on the Nanaimo campus of Vancouver Island University on Tuesday, Feb 21st in the Arts & Science Building (B355).  This event is open to students, faculty and members of the general public free of charge starting at 9 am. 
This is a great opportunity to learn about emerging topics in climate change and participate in interactive workshops.
Attend presentations starting at 9:30 and 10:30 (B355-203)
Climate Change: Science and Public Perception (Jeff Lewis; Geography, VIU)

Studies indicate that approximately 97% of climate researchers support the IPCC findings, that human greenhouse gas emissions are the main driving force of present day climate change, while opinion polls show that a much smaller proportion of the public share the same view. This presentation will address some of the causes of this discrepancy, review the evidence of present day climate change, and discuss the main driving forces that act to change the Earth’s climate.

Beyond Climate Change: Powering the Future (Erik Krogh; Chemistry, VIU)

The Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones.  This presentation will review compelling arguments to conserve energy and develop carbon neutral alternatives above and beyond the issue of global warming, including air quality, ozone depletion and the use of carbon reserves for new advanced materials. The scope and magnitude of global energy demands and an introduction to emerging energy alternatives, including recent advances in bio-mimetic photosynthesis will also be covered.

Attend any two of the following one hour workshops starting at 12:30 and 1:30 (B355 -102, 103, 107, 108 and 110)

Visualizing Climate Change – Interactive Web Activity
So What Do We Do Now? – Weighing the Evidence of Climate Change
Navigating Facts & Biases – Bring the Tricky Questions
Biofuel from Waste and other Opportunities in a Low Carbon Economy
The Psychology of Climate Change Communication

Drop-ins are welcome, but pre-registration via an email to acer@viu.ca <mailto:acer@viu.ca>  is requested.  Further information is available on request.  

Apologies if this has been cross-posted.
Hope to see you there,  

Erik Krogh, Jeff Lewis, Kate Hall and the rest of ACER team
ACER is a university student based public outreach initiative to promote a greater understanding of the science and social implications of climate change. Our inter-disciplinary approach is rooted in the belief that informed public policy requires engagement and a deeper understanding of complex topics.