Natural climate solutions and public opinion will be the focus of two public events happening at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) on Nov. 20 and 25.
University of Waterloo professor Maria Strack and Abacus Data CEO David Coletto will join KPU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Alan Davis in conversation as part of the President’s Dialogue Series. The ongoing series welcomes speakers who are leaders in the private and public sectors, both locally and globally.
Peatlands as natural climate solutions: From global potential to local action
Maria Strack is a professor at the University of Waterloo’s Department of Geography and Environmental Management and the Canada Research Chair in Ecosystems and Climate. Strack is credited with building an innovative and internationally recognized research program investigating peatland greenhouse gas exchange with a focus on managed ecosystems.
“Peatlands are wetlands that hold an incredible amount of carbon in their soils,” says Strack. “Canada is home to a quarter of the world’s peatlands, making us stewards of a globally important storehouse of carbon. Identifying actions that can help keep this carbon safely stored in our peatlands is critical to mitigate climate warming.”
The President’s Dialogue with Maria Strack will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Melville Centre for Dialogue at KPU Richmond, 8771 Lansdowne Rd.
The implications of the rising scarcity mindset: Canadian public opinion in the permacrisis era
David Coletto is the CEO and a founding partner of Abacus Data, a full-service market research and strategy firm based in Ottawa and Toronto. Coletto will share valuable insights on a range of topics, including public opinion and its influence on post-secondary opportunities, the housing crisis, immigration and health care capacity in Canada.
“Canadians have been through a dramatic and anxiety-inducing five years that has shifted public opinion in considerable ways,” says Coletto. “I’m going to tell a story about how public opinion today, and a new scarcity mindset, is having profound impacts on workplaces, consumer behaviour and our politics.”
The President’s Dialogue with David Coletto will be held on Monday, Nov. 25, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Cedar Conference Centre at KPU Surrey, 12666 72 Ave.
Both events are free and open to the public, but guests are asked to register in advance.