While the COVID-19 pandemic has concentrated our attention on public health and emergency preparedness across the world, other pressing challenges remain. The most notable among these is climate change. COVID-19 has demonstrated a wide variation in risk perception among people, reflected not only in public attitudes and beliefs, but also in people’s tolerance for change and novel – and often unpopular – measures to mitigate this health risk. Governments across the world have addressed the crisis in different ways, some assuming new leadership positions while others have faltered in their response. However, all governments have allocated immense resources in responding to COVID-19, both to reduce its immediate impacts and to search for viable longer-term pathways out of the crisis.

In this talk, panelists Dr. Amir Hakami, Dr. Ahmed Abdulla and Dr. Kristen Schell will discuss how some of the lessons we have learned from the national and global response to COVID-19 can help us address the Herculean climate crisis, as we seek to stabilize the climate over the next several decades. They will discuss how climate change has historically been framed, how that framing might shift as its effects manifest themselves in the near future, and how Canada has the opportunity to secure a leadership position in the mammoth energy transition that is currently unfolding. Audience Q+A will follow the discussion.

Welcome remarks will be provided by Dean Larry Kostiuk and the panel will be moderated by Mat Main, Vice President of Corporate Development at Dymech Engineering and President of Carleton University’s Alumni Association.

We are delighted to have the following Professors on the panel:

-Amir Hakami, Associate Dean – Research and Graduate Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
-Ahmed Abdulla, Assistant Professor, Co-lead APEX, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
-Kristen Schell, Assistant Professor, Co-lead APEX, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering