UBC Faculty of Forestry will be well represented at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) happening from October 31 – Nov 12 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Among the group of UBC ambassadors to be present for the conference is Dr. Terry Sunderland who will also be attending and moderating a special event at the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) that is happening in Glasgow at the same time. Dr. Sunderland’s conference insight and expertise were shared by CTV News Vancouver who aired his television interview earlier this week.
“I have been in attendance for almost every COP that has taken place since 2010 in Bali,” recalls Sunderland. “I also make sure to take part in the GLF which always coincides with COP and is the world’s largest forum focused on integrated land use.”
About Dr. Sunderland
As an expert in a number of forest sustainable management areas ranging from forest policy and land-use change to tropical landscapes and livelihoods and food security, during the course of his academic career, Dr. Sunderland has seen countless examples of where climate change mitigation efforts need to be considered or better yet – put into practice.
“Here in Canada, we should be looking at everything from finding additional synergies between agriculture and forestry to creating policies around more sustainable and integrated uses of land. It all comes down to mitigating the ongoing effects of climate change and then incorporating nature-based solutions to address those challenges.”
Sunderland, who is a published book author, lecturer and award-winning researcher, regularly speaks to complex issues arising throughout the world, in part at least due to climate change. One that is becoming more apparent, he says, is food scarcity.
“Scientific modelling is showing us now that food scarcity is a growing concern and will only get worse if we don’t put climate mitigation policies that regulate practices in place,” says Sunderland. “On a global level, we need to be acknowledging the fact that forests play an important role in securing food and dietary diversity. In order to meet those needs, we must promote and implement sustainable landscape approaches that bring diverse land uses together.”
About COP26
The COP26 summit will bring together climate experts, heads of state and campaigners who share a common objective to accelerate action toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
