Acadia University’s third annual President’s Panel assembled for an evening of lectures and learning on an unseasonably warm evening. Apropos, given that this year’s panel is on climate action.

The unsettlingly warm weather didn’t go unnoticed by the panelists. Dr. Laura Ferguson (Biology) who presented on her work on ectothermic critters—namely mosquitos and ticks—remarked that “climate change feels tangible here in Nova Scotia. It’s almost December and we’ve barely had a frost.”

Her observation was met with a chorus of nods from the students, faculty, staff, and community members in the packed audience assembled in the K.C. Irving Environmental Centre Auditorium.

Despite the tangible reminder of what we’re up against, each of the panelists’ presentations reminded attendees that there’s hope for the future, in no small part because of ongoing action against climate change at Acadia.

Panel recap

The President’s Panel discussions were initiated through Acadia’s Sustainability Office to raise awareness of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to reaffirm Acadia’s commitment to them. Each of the panelist’s talks touched on just how connected we are to the climate, and the various ways we can, and are, participating in climate action at Acadia.

The first speaker, Dr. Katie Mazer (Environmental and Sustainability Studies & Women's and Gender Studies), gave a talk titled “‘We’ve always left for work’ and other stories: Imagining alternatives to oil work.” She spoke about the men who leave the Maritimes to work “out west,” the cultural narratives that enable this path, and the structures of social power that uphold the fossil fuel industry.

“Tackling climate change requires a different world.” And, says Dr. Mazer, “stories can bring it into being.”

Next to the podium was Dr. Laura Ferguson (Biology). She gave a talk called “Ticks, mosquitoes, and climate change: increasing understanding to protect against rising disease risks” detailing how our warming planet is increasing the population and range of mosquitos and ticks, and consequently the incidence rates of the vector-borne diseases they carry.

Dr. Ferguson and her team have been conducting surveillance across the Maritimes for four years (so far!), with about 20,000 specimens examined per season. “We’re at the stage where we need to generate knowledge about these species,” says Dr. Ferguson. “More biological understanding will lead to mitigation.”

In addition to her team of dedicated student researchers, she’s also getting citizen scientists involved in her research by engaging them in specimen collection. “Community science both educates people and gets research done.”

Finally, Dr. Edith Callaghan and Professor Ashley Doyle (F.C. Manning School of Business) presented “How a Maritime Fibre Flax to Fabric Industry Can Reduce our Negative Climate Impacts,” in which they discussed their newly NSERC-funded project combatting the environmentally destructive fast fashion industry.

“The textile industry has a transparency problem,” explains Dr. Callaghan. So, we really have no idea how much of our global carbon footprint can be attributed to the fashion industry.

The way that Dr. Callaghan and Prof. Doyle see it, there are three paths forward: corporate accountability; mend, reuse and share; and creating local natural fibre economy. The latter is exactly what they’re hoping to kickstart here in Nova Scotia with their flax fibre to fabric project. What they’re working towards is an “upward spiral” across all sectors that the supply chain touches.

Finding your sphere of influence

Though the presenters come from different disciplines, they are all working in their own way to address the climate crisis.

“The presentations are all connected by finding spheres of influence where you can make a change,” noted Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo (Provost and Vice-President Academic), who moderated the panel.

Prof. Doyle agreed, observing that “we all have skills that we can bring to tackle this problem.” She wasn’t sure how she, as an accountant, would contribute to climate action, but by listening and learning, she saw an opportunity to get involved through risk control matrixing for the Flax Fibre to Fabric project.

“It’s important to have people who can bring all the professions to the table,” says Rowan Norrad, a third-year student in Environmental Science. “You aren’t going to solve the problem of climate change with one discipline. It’s a multidisciplinary problem, and we must take a multidisciplinary approach to the solution.”

Rowan was especially appreciative of the presentation from the faculty members from the School of Business. “I feel like business gets a bad rep, but they can really be very environmentally focused.”

“As environmental science students, it feels like you’re fighting to get your voice heard. But when you see people that don’t need to be convinced it really gives me hope.”

Collective energy towards positive change

One student in the audience asked the panelists how they find hope when there’s so much negative news concerning climate change. Dr. Ferguson responded, saying “nights like tonight give me hope. Feeling the collective energy towards positive change.”

Collective action and community were another theme that ran through each of the talks as a way to move through the climate crisis with hope. Dr. Callaghan observed that “we all have the thread of citizen participation and community in our work.”

Dr. Ferguson added that across all the panelist’s research, they’re “all figuring out how to build new futures.”

Nurturing seeds of hope and connection

Dr. Ferguson encouraged students to keep learning and challenging existing systems of power. “Your education is action on climate change,” she told students in the audience.

Dr. Mazer agreed, noting that critical thinking, a key skill that students gain at Acadia, is fundamental in combating climate change. “Understanding how things work is the first step in undoing them,” she explained.

Ashley Gillis (Business Administration) has found her education at Acadia to be transformative. “Since I have been at Acadia, it might be from my learning or maybe it is a mindset shift, but I don’t want to be as materialistic anymore, I am okay with just having something that functions,” she says. “A small transition today can have a wonderful impact on tomorrow.”

“I am planning to take my network and ‘seeds’ from Acadia when I graduate,” Ashley says. “The root of my hope for the future lives in the open-mindedness of peers and the willingness of society to change.”

“I’ve made so many connections with people at Acadia who have the same passion as me, and that gives me hope,” says Rowan. “They’re there, and they’re doing the same thing I am. We’re all learning and trying to make a difference. If enough people do that, we’ll be fine.”