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2018 Fall | Global Change IV: Exploring Change from Many Perspectives

FALL 2018 | Global Change IV:  Exploring Change from Many Perspectives   

 
COURSE SCHEDULE AND INSTRUCTORS:
 
  • Oct. 4. Applying Conservation Social Science to Understand Human Decisions & Address Habitat Loss.  Ashley Dayer, Asst. Prof., Fish and Wildlife Conservation, VT.
  • Oct. 11. Wildlife, disease and climate change: lessons from amphibians. Topic changed to: The Big Picture of Climate Change Science.  Lisa Belden, Prof., Biological Sciences, VT.
  • Oct 18. How Sensitive is the Antarctic Ice Sheet to Climate Change and What Does it Mean for Sea Level Change? How Can Earth History Research Help Us Prepare for Future Climate Change? Brian Romans, Assoc. Prof, Geosciences, VT.
  • Oct. 25. Tilapia farming at the crossroads of food security and biodiversity conservation in Africa. Emmanuel Frimpong, Assoc. Prof., Fish and Wildlife Conservation, VT
  • Nov. 1. Community-engaged research in an urban and rural community in the Deep South:  Extreme heat events and health outcomes. Julia Gohlke, Assoc. Prof., Population Health Sciences, Coll. Of Veterinary Medicine, VT.
  • Nov. 15. Valuing environmental services and amenities – an economic perspective (and, no, – “priceless” is not the correct answer, ever…).  Klaus Moeltner, Prof. Agric Applied Economics, VT.

 

Abstracts for sessions led by GCC Faculty Affiliates:

Applying Conservation Social Science to Understand Human Decisions and Address Habitat Loss

Led by Ashley Dayer.

Solutions to most of our global change challenges require humans taking action. In order to effectively engage people (from private landowners to policymakers to citizens) , it is critical that we understand human behavior and its drivers (e.g., social context, values, attitudes, motivations). Dr. Dayer will present us with background on how the social sciences are advancing the understanding of human dimensions of global change.  She will focus on examples of understanding human decisions related to habitat loss in the face of sea level rise in the East, drought in the West, and agricultural production in the Great Plains.

 

Wildlife, disease and climate change: lessons from amphibians

Led by Lisa Belden.

Amphibian populations globally have declined dramatically in the last several decades.  We will discuss what is know about the causes of these amphibians declines and how complex global threats, including climate change and disease, can interact to impact wildlife.

 

How Sensitive is the Antarctic Ice Sheet to Climate Change and What Does it Mean for Sea Level Change? How Can Earth History Research Help Us Prepare for Future Climate Change?

Led by Brian Romans

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which holds the equivalent of 10 ft of sea-level rise, is melting at a faster rate than other ice sheets. Some pressing questions in climate science include: How quickly could the WAIS melt? How stable is the WAIS in response to warming?  Dr. Romans will share insights from his sea-going expedition in Jan-Feb 2018 that recovered Ross Sea sediment cores to study how the WAIS responded to climate change historically.  He will discuss the value of looking into Earth’s past to help us understand what is happening now and in the future.

 

Effects of climate and anthropogenic change on fish populations in Africa: Tilapia farming at the crossroads of food security and biodiversity conservation in Africa

Led by Emmanuel Frimpong.

This presentation will present a conundrum involving the Genetically Improved Farm Tilapia (GIFT), aquaculture development, and biodiversity conservation in Africa.  The GIFT tilapia has literally become Africa’s gift to the world, driving global farmed fish production, especially in Asia. However African farmers are largely prevented from farming this tilapia strain due to concerns that farming the selectively bred tilapia on the continent will “pollute” native tilapia genetic diversity. The talk will examine who gains and who loses from this decision from the ethical, economic, and biological conservation perspectives.

 

Community-engaged research in an urban and rural community in the Deep South:  Extreme heat events and health outcomes

Led by Julia Gohlke.

This talk will define heatwave trends in the Southeast and the influence of urban and rural landscapes on neighborhood-level heat exposure.  We will also discuss heatwave-health outcome associations using spatial epidemiology methods. Results of community-engaged research on the socioeconomic and cultural contexts for prioritizing climate change and other environmental health issues in an urban versus a rural setting in Alabama will be presented and discussed in the context of developing climate change adaptation strategies

 

Valuing environmental services and amenities – an economic perspective (and, no, – “priceless” is not the correct answer, ever…)

Led by Klaus Moeltner.

Non-market valuation is the economics field that estimates the dollar-valued benefits of environmental amenities and services, such as clean air and water, preservation of endangered species, averting/combatting invasive species, recreational opportunities, ecosystem health, lowering risk or impact of natural disasters, etc. – basically environmental outcomes that humans value and may pay for, but that are not bought or sold in established markets.  Dr. Moeltner will show how survey methods and housing market data can be used to determine these values, and how they are used in broader benefit-cost analyses. Case studies will include coastal flood risk, mountain pine beetle infestation, wetland ecosystem services, and power outages.