ALN’s First Course Launches: Climate Change Adaptation Fundamentals

Profiling Dr. Stewart Cohen, ALN Instructor

February 5, 2020 – Adaptation Learning Network (ALN) launched its first course facilitated by Dr. Stewart Cohen. Dr. Cohen was a senior researcher with Environment and Climate Change Canada for more than 30 years. He has contributed to more than 125 publications on climate change impacts and adaptation. He been a member of author teams for national assessments of climate change in Canada and the United States, as well as contributing to several publications of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Students attending the first collaborative session of Climate Adaptation Fundamentals were part of a lively discussion on reliability and truthfulness in the climate discussion. The group examined and discussed the views of university professors, peer-reviewed scientific articles, IPCC Reports, and Indigenous records from oral traditions as trusted sources.

Dr. Cohen noted during discussions that the IPCC represents 99% of scientists in its climate reporting while publications from groups such as the Heartland Institute – invested in climate change denial – represent only 1% of scientists. This is a clear indicator of what science is telling us about the realities of climate change.

In our culture of untrustworthy sources of information, knowing which publications, governing bodies, and communities are willing to communicate the truth, is imperative in building a climate change adaptation strategy for the future. Without an accurate picture of the present we cannot effectively anticipate what our future looks like.

Nigel Deans, a student in the course says, “It was a privilege to watch Dr. Cohen discuss trusted voices in the climate discussion. There is a lot of white noise about climate issues and it was refreshing to hear from an expert”.

Because of the high demand for Climate Change Adaptation Fundamentals with Dr. Cohen, we will be offering it for a second time May 4-31. Our second course, Natural Asset Management: An Introduction to Making Nature Count in Canadian Municipalities Natural Asset Management: An Introduction to Making Nature Count in Canadian Municipalitiestakes place on March 10. This one-day intensive will be held on the Royal Roads University campus and has been specifically designed for staff of local governments to make meaningful change in their municipalities.