In this session\, UBC faculty from diverse disciplines will explore the role t hat academia can play in supporting the objectives of COP by breaking down internal and external barriers to advance climate solutions. From clean en ergy advancements to legal commitments to climate action\; from advancing a daptation and mitigation research across disciplines to decreasing polariza tion\, speakers will discuss how they may use their role as researchers to drive climate solutions. The audience will be able to participate through a question-and-answer period\, followed by an opportunity for continued info rmal discussion at the end of the event.

The Conference of the Partie s (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference brings together world leaders\, policy experts\, non-governmental organizations\, and civil society to discuss climate action. These gatherings provide the o pportunity for governments to officially negotiate international agreements \, take stock of global progress on implementation\, and present national c limate plans. Civil society\, including academia\, plays an important role at COP\, holding parties accountable for their commitments and working to a dvance climate solutions.

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Moderator

Carol Liao\, Associate Professor at Allard School of Law

Carol Liao is an Associate Professor at Allard Law an d a Distinguished Fellow of the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Busines s Ethics at the UBC Sauder School of Business. Her research focuses on corporate law and sustainability\, climate governance\, and social justice. She is the Co-Director (Academic) of the UBC Centre for Climate Justice a nd the Chair and Principal Co-Investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative\, de dicated to advancing director knowledge on the latest in climate risks and fiduciary obligations. She is also Principal Investigator of a SSHRC Insigh t Grant-funded empirical study on sustainable corporate governance and a UB C research excellence cluster member of the Future Minerals Initiative and Decisio n Insights for Business & Society. In 2024\, she was recognized with th e UBC Public En gagement Award for her communication of corporate governance\, ESG\, an d equity issues. She was a member of UBC's delegation fo r COP29 hosted in Baku\, Azerbaijan.

Speakers

Rob ert Godin\, Assistant Professor\, Department of Chemistry\, Irving K. Barbe r Faculty of Science

Robert Godin leads the SolarSpec: Solar Ener gy Conversion and Spectroscopy group where his research focusses on sus tainable energy production\, organic semiconductors\, and photocatalysis. H e teaches in the Department of Chemistry at UBC's Okanagan campus and is the Green Chemistry lead in the Bachelor of Sustainability Program. Since 2023\, he has also acted as the Co-lead of the Solar Energy for Net Zero Research Cluster\, a multidisciplinary group of researchers at bo th UBC campuses working collaboratively to advance our understanding of har nessing\, converting\, storing and using solar energy with the aim to accel erate vast deployment. He has been an active member of UBC’s Climate Resear ch Working group and has been a Steering Committee member of the pan-univer sity Climate Solutions Research Collective since its launch in 2023. In 2021 Robert was a part of UBC's delegation to COP26 in Glasgow\, Scotl and.

Hisham Zerriffi\, Professor\, Faculty of Forestry

Hisham Zerriffi is a Professor in Forest Resources Management in th e Faculty of Forestry\, and the Associate Dean\, Equity\, Diversity and Inc lusion. He is the Principal Investigator of the Energy Resources\, Developme nt and Environment Lab which uses inter-disciplinary approaches to rese arch problems at the intersection of technology\, environment and developme nt with the aim of tackling major issues in this area and developing eviden ce-based policy recommendations for all stakeholders (e.g. governments at a ll levels\, households\, private sector\, donors\, etc.). His research ofte n explores questions around tradeoffs and decisions that have to be made th at balance short and long-term development and environmental goals. He is a Faculty Associate of the Institute of Resources\, Environment and Sustaina bility\, the Clean Energy Research Centre and the BioProducts Institute at UBC.

Katherine White\, Professor\, UBC Sauder School of Busin ess

Katherine White is a Professor of Marketing and Behaviou ral Science and is the Senior Associate Dean\, Strategy and Responsible Bus iness at UBC Sauder. She is also the Academic Director of the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions\, a dynamic hub for problem-driven research and climate-focused business education. Her research focuses on ho w social contexts\, identities\, and emotions shape how consumers make ethi cal\, prosocial\, and sustainable choices. Kate is the author of “The Elusi ve Green Consumer” in Harvard Business Review and she has published over 60 research articles. She was awarded a Canada Clean 50 Award for thought lea dership in sustainability and the American Marketing Association’s Award fo r Responsible Research in Marketing.