Waterloo, Canada – December 4, 2009 – Experts from The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) are available for comment and analysis on the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7-18. CIGI experts are available to comment from Copenhagen, London (U.K.), Ottawa, Toronto and Waterloo.
Jason J. Blackstock – CIGI research fellow, research scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, and guest lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School in international and global affairs. As a physicist and international relations scholar, his research focuses on evaluating the climatic and international political implications and risks of geoengineering — the intentional, large-scale alteration of the climate system — as a potential means of limiting climate change.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/jason-blackstock
Topics: Geoengineering (climate engineering), climate science, international climate policy and negotiations, scientific advise and international affairs
Language: English
Note: in Copenhagen December 9-14 and 17-18
John Curtis – a CIGI distinguished fellow, he can provide background and insight into factors leading to the current financial/economic crisis and policies, matters relating to international trade (WTO, NAFTA etc.), the performance of the world economy (history, policy, countries etc.). He is one of Canada’s best recognized economic policy advisors and was the first Chief Economist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/john-m-curtis
Topics: how actions to address climate change affect or intersect with the world trading regime
Language: English
Note: see CIGI’s latest report Climate Change and the Trading System by Dan Ciuriak and Bob Johnstone (http://www.cigionline.org/publications/2009/11/climate-change-and-trading-system)
Louise Fréchette – CIGI distinguished fellow who chairs a project on nuclear energy and the challenges of global governance. She was a member of the IAEA’s Commission of Eminent Persons on nuclear energy challenges and the future of the IAEA. In September 2008, she was made a member of the advisory board to the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament established by the governments of Australia and Japan.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/louise-fr%C3%A9chette
Topic: strategic significance of what happens or does not happen in Copenhagen
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Paul Heinbecker – CIGI distinguished fellow, who has attended a dozen world summits, and was Canada’s chief negotiator of the Kyoto Protocol. He can comment on: Canadian foreign policy, including the G20 at the Leaders’ level and summit processes; the United Nations; environmental policy issues, particularly climate change and the Kyoto protocol; international security, including arms control and disarmament; human security; human rights; International Criminal Court; the Middle East, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq war, Kosovo, U.S. foreign policy; EU and transatlantic policy issues, particularly Germany.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/paul-heinbecker
Topics: environmental policy issues, particularly climate change and Kyoto Protocol
Languages: English, French, German, Turkish
Kathryn Hochstetler – CIGI chair of governance in the Americas at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and professor of political science at the University of Waterloo. Her current research covers two main topics: the role of protest and civil society organizations in current South American politics, while a second project focuses on Brazilian development choices in the 21st century, with special attention to the roles of regionalism, sustainable development and public finance in those choices. Her recent books explore Brazilian environmental politics and United Nations’ conferences.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/kathyrn-hochstetler
Topics: developing countries' positions, especially Brazil; history of United Nations negotiations related to the environment; role of NGOs
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Note: in Copenhagen December 7-10
Annette Hester – CIGI research fellow, economist, independent scholar and writer for a variety of academic publications and popular media. She is the founding director of the Latin American Research Centre at the University of Calgary and is currently working in association with this organization, the Canadian International Council, Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Centre D’études Interaméricaines at the Université Laval and CEBRI in Brazil.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/annette-hester
Topics: intersection of energy and environment, energy as in hydrocarbons, renewables and biofuels
Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French
Thomas Homer-Dixon – CIGI chair of global systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and a professor at the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. Previously, he led several research projects at the University of Toronto, studying the links between environmental stress and violence in developing countries. Recently, his research has focused on threats to global security in the 21st century and on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological and technological change.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/thomas-homer-dixon
Topics: General climate science, energy technologies and carbon emissions, geoengineering
Language: English
Ian H. Rowlands – CIGI senior fellow and a professor in the Department of Environment and Resource Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. He is also the associate dean (research) in the University’s Faculty of Environment and associate director at the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/ian-h-rowlands
Topics: Energy management strategies for decarbonisation (climate change mitigation), including renewable energy, energy efficiency and smart grids; history of international environmental negotiations on global climate change; future prospects for international negotiations on global climate change; business role in decarbonisation (climate change mitigation)
Language: English
Daniel Schwanen – CIGI deputy executive director of programs. He can comment on the links between the financial markets and the real economy, macro-economic imbalances (fiscal and current account), impact of the global financial crisis and responses to it in Canada and abroad. He has written several studies on the economics of climate change mitigation. More particularly, he has studied Canada's position, policies and performance on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the role markets (e.g. cap-and-trade systems) can play in reducing emissions. Prior to CIGI, he was an international economist with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, where he covered G7 economic developments and the European Community single market process.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/daniel-schwanen
Topics: climate change migration, Canada's position on policies and performance on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the role markets (e.g. cap-and-trade systems) can play in reducing emissions
Languages: English, French
John Whalley – one of Canada’s preeminent experts in the field of global economics. He is a CIGI distinguished fellow and professor of economics and director of the Centre for the Study of International Economic Relations at the University of Western Ontario, as well as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has written many scholarly articles on a variety of topics, including environmental issues.
Profile: http://www.cigionline.org/person/john-whalley
Topics: adaptation fund, China-India, emissions reduction commitments
Language: English
For more information, visit: www.cigionline.org
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About CIGI: The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that addresses international governance challenges. Led by a group of experienced practitioners and distinguished academics, CIGI supports research, forms networks, advances policy debate, builds capacity, and generates ideas for multilateral governance improvements. Conducting an active agenda of research, events and publications, CIGI's interdisciplinary work includes collaboration with policy, business and academic communities around the world. CIGI was founded in 2002 by Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of RIM (Research In Motion), and collaborates with and gratefully acknowledges support from a number of strategic partners, in particular the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. For more information, please visit: www.cigionline.org