Launched on Earth Day 2024, Western News’ “Our Warming Planet” series explores the consequences of climate change and solutions for a sustainable future. From mitigating climate change to discussions around art and sustainability, the series has covered a wide range of topics and research areas. As Earth Day 2025 approaches, experts featured in these stories are available for media interviews.
‘We need everybody’: Mitigating climate change requires creativity, thinking differently
Katrina Eyvindson
Professor and Chair, Geography and Environment
Areas of expertise: Mitigating climate change, water resources, drought.
Brian Branfireun
Professor, Biology; Canada Research Chair in Environment and Sustainability
Areas of expertise: Mitigating climate change, mercury in the environment, impacts on wetlands.
Weather extremes and adapting to an increasingly dangerous world
Greg Kopp
Professor, Engineering; Director of the Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory
Areas of expertise: Tornadoes, windstorms, hailstorms, extreme weather and climate change.
Paul Kovacs
Executive Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Areas of expertise: Extreme weather-resilient construction, resilience and adaptation.
Record warming: How should Canada, its cities and citizens adapt?
Gordon McBean
Professor Emeritus, Geography and Environment
Areas of expertise: Climate change and extreme heat, climate change science and policy.
James Voogt
Professor, Geography and Environment
Areas of expertise: Urban heat islands, cities and extreme heat, mitigating heat in urban areas.
A new trajectory: Climate change rapidly impacting Canadian agriculture
Hugh Henry
Professor, Biology
Areas of expertise: Physiological plant ecology and global change ecology, community ecology.
Yangping Li
Associate Professor, Earth Sciences
Areas of expertise: Assessment of hazards induced by climate change relating to agriculture.
Interconnected crisis: Declining planetary and population health
Lesley Gittings
Assistant Professor, Health Studies
Areas of expertise: Health equity and environmental barriers.
Dr. Anna Gunz
Associate Professor, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Areas of expertise: Health monitoring of climate change, climate change as a health crisis.
‘Over a tipping point:’ Rising temperatures hit plants and animals
Robert Buchkowski
Assistant Professor, Biology
Areas of expertise: Ecosystem management, global change biology, conservation biology.
Scott MacDougall-Shackleton
Professor, Psychology
Areas of expertise: Impact of climate change on bird behaviour, migration patterns of birds.
‘Most promising path:’ Using nature-based solutions to respond to climate change
Diane-Laure Arjalies
Associate Professor, Ivey Business School; Centre for Building Sustainable Value
Areas of expertise: Conservation finance, protection of ecosystems, responsible investment.
Tima Bansal
Professor, Ivey School of Business
Areas of expertise: Clean economy, business strategy and sustainability, sustainable development.
Toward a sustainable future through art and literature
Kirsty Robertson
Professor, Visual Arts; Canada Research Chair in Museums, Art, and Sustainability
Areas of expertise: Art and sustainability, sustainable curating, contemporary art trade.
Joshua Schuster
Professor, English and Writing Studies; Director, Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism
Areas of expertise: Literature and environmental ideas, understanding extinction and existential risk.
Canadians know climate change is happening, but do they care?
Brandon Schaufele
Associate Professor, Ivey Business School; Director, Ivey Energy Policy and Management
Areas of expertise: Energy policy, agricultural economics, environmental economics.
Laura Stephenson
Professor and Chair, Political Science
Areas of expertise: Voter attitudes towards climate change, climate change politics.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Justin Zadorsky, Media Relations Officer, Western University, 226.377.1673 (mobile), jzadorsk@uwo.ca.
