FORECAST NL

What exactly do we know about how climate change is affecting NL? We know it is having an impact on the entire planet, but what can we expect to see in our province, specifically?

Join us as we talk to experts in this field: Dr. Joel Finnis (Climatologist, Memorial); Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo (Arctic & Subarctic Studies, Memorial's Labrador Institute); & Ashley Smith (Owner & Managing Director of Fundamental Inc.)

We can't wait to hear what questions you have for our panelists, and they are really looking forward to engaging in a conversation with you.

You can register for the event by clicking here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=nsixiugab&oeidk=a07ehmq58ud674a5333

(Registering means you will be provided with the Zoom link to join the session on the morning of the event. We will also be posting that information here, in the ForecastNL forum, an hour or two before the event.)

The Canadian Institute for Climate Choices is hosting "Canada’s Net-Zero Future: Finding Our Way in the Global Transition" on Friday, February 19th, at 2:30pm NST.

From their website:

"Today the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices released the first comprehensive national modelling report on how Canada could achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Join the Institute and GLOBE Series for an interactive virtual event to delve into the report’s findings in depth and explore potential net-zero pathways for Canada.

Through an evidence-based discussion of Canada’s options in the transition to a prosperous net-zero economy, participants will be invited to consider:

Which pathways are most feasible?

Which are most desirable?

Which have the greatest potential to deliver on Canada’s commitments?

To kick off the discussion, Jason Dion, Mitigation Research Director with the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, will share key findings and insights from the Canada’s Net-Zero Future: Finding Our Way in the Global Transition report. This presentation will be followed by a dialogue between industry leaders, sustainability experts and policy makers to unpack how this new research will affect future business decisions and how Canada can best chart a course towards net-zero. Participants will also have the opportunity to put forward questions for consideration, and members of a “people’s panel” will join live on-screen to interact directly with the speakers.

Space will be limited to ensure a high level of engagement and discussion.

Register today to secure your spot for this free interactive event: https://www.globeseries.com/canadas-net-zero-future/

It doesn't get more straight forward than this! Here's Bill Nye the Science Guy taking us through some of the fundamentals of climate change in under 4 minutes. Does he touch on any of your primary concerns? Have we already seen evidence of the impact of some of these phenomena in NL? Let us know what you're thinking in the Discussion or Topics forums! (And stay tuned for more information on our next session, dedicated to NL's environment.)

Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador put together this video in 2016 to show the impact human activities are having on our planet.

"Planet earth is warming up quickly as a result of human activities, mainly the burning of fossil fuels. But what are fossil fuels and how do they cause this change in climate? What other human actions contribute to the rising of our average global temperature? Watch this video to find out about the Greenhouse Effect, Greenhouse Gases, and Fossil Fuels, and how these and other factors contribute to global climate change!"

Created by Stephanie Tucker and Penny Moran, 2016.

Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador is a not-for-profit organization, "dedicated to providing youth with training and employment in environmental and cultural heritage."

Learn more about CCNL here!

In 2019, the Harris Centre published the 6th edition of Vital Signs, a local report that contains easy-to-read statistics and stories on quality of life in our province.

In this edition, we asked: "What environmental concerns should be top-of-mind for NLers? What will climate change mean for people living in NL? What do we need to do to prepare? What are we doing to mitigate climate change?What Might Climate Change Mean for NL?"

Read the full report here.

Below is an infographic that contains a number of important statistics related to climate change and our natural environment. Is anything surprising? What do you think is most important for us going forward? Pop over to the Discussion and Topics forums to share your opinions--and let us know if there is anything missing from this list that you'd like to know more about! (Our researcher is already preparing for the 7th edition.)

We have officially launched ForecastNL! If you weren't able to attend the live session, you can watch the recording in our Discussions forum, where you are also encouraged to post comments and questions, with each other and our panelists.

Go there now

Hi, Everyone!

Today's the day--we are excited to be hosting the inaugural session of ForecastNL: What's the Forecast? An Introduction to ForecastNL at 11:30am (Newfoundland Time) via the video conferencing platform, Webex.

We will be joined by Memorial University's president, Dr. Vianne Timmons; the Harris Centre's director and the AVP of Public Engagement and External Relationships at Memorial, Dr. Rob Greenwood; the Harris Centre's Manager of Communications and Engagement, Cathy Newhook; and our two expert panelists, Oceanography professor, Dr. Brad deYoung, and economist and associate of the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, Elizabeth Beale (the co-chairs of the project's Steering Committee).

Here is the link to join the session:

https://mun.webex.com/mun/onstage/g.php?MTID=ee39c8e6a31364ce06c86cefd73568876

Some Useful Information:

• This event is hosted by Webex. If you do not already have the Webex application, you will be prompted to download it when you click the link above. This just takes a minute or two. To download Webex before the session begins (which can save some time and stress!), visit their website: https://www.webex.com/
• If needed, the password to enter the meeting is is "2021." However, this area should autofill for you immediately.
• We recommend joining the meeting at least 5 minutes early.
• The session will also be streaming live on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jpzD4Y9S1tY
• (We encourage folks to sign in through Webex in order to ask questions and participate live!
  If you have any problems accessing the video, email Mandy at mandy.rowsell@mun.ca
  

*Note: We won't actually "see" you at 11:30am. Don't worry--you won't be on video! We can see your name, but the only folks visible to everyone are the panelists (so feel free to grab some lunch, or stay in your PJs if you're working from home today!).

Talking about the impacts of climate change can be challenging: it's politically charged, it's complicated, and it's something many of us would often rather ignore. But if we want to find solutions, we need to open up the dialogue.

Read more here.

Hi, Everyone, and Welcome to ForecastNL!

We will be launching the series on February 5th (at 1130am, Newfoundland Time) with an Introduction to the project. We will be joined be Memorial's President, Dr. Vianne Timmons, and Harris Centre Director and Memorial's Associate Vice-President of Public Engagement and External Relations, Dr. Rob Greenwood, among other members of the Harris Centre ForecastNL project team and some of our Steering Committee members (read more about some of them here).

This session will outline how we got here, why this project is important (and why it might be challenging), and what we hope to achieve. We will also take you all through the general structure of the project, introducing the Steering Committee, letting you know all about our Knowledge Mobilization Committee and the Citizen Forum, and providing an overview of the project tools (including this website!).

And, of course, there will be moderated Question and Answer period, where we will not only take questions from you, but will be asking you some of our own questions. We want to know why you are here, why you are concerned, what you want to hear about, and what you hope to learn.

You can register for the session by clicking here.

The session will be aired live, and recorded for future viewing.
Stay tuned for more details, and reach out with any questions!

Mandy

mandy.rowsell@mun.ca

Forecast NL is a Harris Centre project aimed at facilitating a province-wide discussion to tackle the question: How can NL create economic and social prosperity while mitigating and adapting to climate change?

In a nutshell, the project will:

Present the facts: all of them (or at least as many as we can), looking at all the angles, and encouraging people to talk openly and honestly (working hard to see beyond the polarization and competition of concerns) about the challenges we're currently facing, related to how climate change will (and is already) impacting our economy and society.

Provide a respectful, neutral platform for the discussion of ideas and solutions: that means we're going to expect people to be respectful, polite, and considerate regardless of whether or not you agree. We know this is a discussion that concerns people's livelihoods, their health, and their families; we just ask that you take the time to consider other people's views.

Identify promising ideas, actions or approaches: throughout the series of discussions, we'll be looking for smart ideas to help us move forward. Helping ideas become solutions is part of what the Harris Centre does, and throughout the discussions we'll be working behind the scenes to give your ideas some legs, connecting them with the right organizations and individuals, and making sure that no good idea goes to waste.

How?

Panel presentations and discussion forums:
Over the course of the project, we'll be presenting live (and recorded) webcast forums with experts on topics related to climate change and its impact on the economy and society in NL (Have a topic idea? Suggest it here!).

Online engagement platform:
This website will be the hub for the whole project, housing information and resources, as well as being a virtual 'kitchen table' to listen, learn, and share ideas.

Citizen Forum:
In addition to the general public's involvement, we are recruiting 45 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who are demographically and regionally representative. This Citizen Forum will commit to listening to all the presentations and participating in all the discussions. They will also agree to engage in discussions amongst themselves to help identify the key challenges and opportunities that are facing our province, and suggest ideas and solutions for how we can move forward.

Knowledge Mobilization:
We've assembled an impressive group of people and organizations in all areas related to climate, economy, and society in NL to form our Knowledge Mobilization Committee. Throughout the project, this group will meet to hear updates about the ongoing public discussions, hear interesting ideas that have been put forward, and share information and ideas of their own.

Final Reports and Convention:
These won't be reports to sit on shelves. Depending on what themes emerge from the discussions, we will invite researchers at Memorial to present summative reports that will help mobilize the key takeaways, ideas, and recommendations put forward during the project. We are also aiming (if COVID restrictions allow) to have a final in-person conversation where we can bring all of the folks involved in the project together to discuss the key findings and identify next steps.

Anything else we can think of!
We may be small, but we're creative - and we're looking at creative ways to help give this discussion the platform it deserves. We have some ideas up our sleeves, but we'd also like to hear your thoughts and ideas about what else we can do to make this project valuable.

Thanks for joining us!
Let us know what you think by posting in one of our Discussion forums!