Professor Simron J. Singh, PhD
Professor and University Research Chair (URC),
Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Canada
Building on borrowed time: Why the „staying afloat“ approach does not work for small islands
Presentation "Building on borrowed time: Why the „staying afloat“ approach does not work for small islands"
Podcast
Abstract
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are on the frontlines of climate change. At 1.5 °C of global warming, severe impacts on populations, livelihoods, and infrastructure, and critical resources such as food, energy, and water, are projected, that will limit adaptation opportunities as well. This talk will argue that small island nations are „building on borrowed time“. Current climate adaptation measures are not only inadequate to deal with this crisis, but they further exacerbate „socio-metabolic risk“, or systemic risk related to the availability and circulation of critical resources such as food, water, materials, and energy. Mitigating these risks is crucial for small islands to withstand climate impacts and avoid cascading dysfunction of environmental, economic and social systems.
Short Biography:
Professor Simron J. Singh, PhD, is a Professor and University Research Chair (URC) at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Using the analogy that islands function like living organisms, he analyzes how small island economies utilize (or metabolize) materials, energy, water, and infrastructure; why and how these consumption patterns accumulate „Socio-metabolic risk“ over time and increase their susceptibility to the challenges of climate change, and potential pathways for island economies to transition to a more sustainable, circular resource-use model, thereby bolstering their overall resilience to the impact of climate change.