As the world faces existential environmental challenges, Brock University's Liette Vasseur says it's time to think differently and act rapidly because "without a healthy planet, there cannot be healthy people or communities."
Vasseur, a Professor of Biological Sciences and UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: From Local to Global, says it shouldn't be left to the highest levels of government to drive change. People at the community level also have a vital role to play.
"Whether it's climate change, food and water security or biodiversity loss, the need to find solutions is urgent," said Vasseur, whose Chair was renewed this week for another four-year term. "It's critical to consider the interconnected nature of the challenges we face and the linkages that exist between local communities and the global world."
Vasseur points to the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) as tangible ways for communities to contribute to sustainable futures.
Within the 17 goals are 169 targets that focus on outcomes like reducing poverty, improving health, and climate action. According to an OECD analysis, Vasseur says 109 of those targets rest at the community level.
"There are many possibilities for impact that exist at the community level, but there is still a knowledge gap that exists in terms of how to contribute to these goals in daily life," she says.
Vasseur will co-host a public webinar on a community-focused approach to enacting the SDGs on Wednesday, May 6 at 10 a.m. Hosted in partnership with the Niagara Community Foundation and Niagara Potential, the event is free to attend but advanced registration is required.
"Everything is connected to everything else, and all human activities have an impact," she says. "Now, as we approach a tipping point, we must consider what we want that impact to be and it's at the local level where the real change will happen."
Vasseur holds several international appointments that address the urgency of climate change. As the Chair of the Commission on Ecosystem Management of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, for instance, she recently co-authored a book of case studies that were analyzed to initiate guiding principles for ecosystem governance.
In Urban-rural linkage: an ecosystem governance perspective, the authors underscore the interconnectedness of ecosystems and need for local authorities to balance social, economic and environmental factors to prevent conflicts and land degradation.
"We absolutely need to rethink the way we govern and make decisions related to our ecosystem," Vasseur says. "With 70 per cent of the global population expected to live in cities by 2050, combined with a rising demand for food, energy and raw materials, we need to examine water governance, social and behavioural challenges, energy, planning and farming within these urban-rural ecosystems at the community level. This will ensure we balance social and economic development with environmental protection."
Inclusion and stewardship are also key tenets of Vasseur's work, ensuring that research is both guided by, and accessible to, those at the community level.
Her research in sustainable agriculture, for instance, centers around a participatory approach that is guided by farmers across Canada and in growing regions in Benin, Morocco and Germany. Through these projects, researchers and community members work collaboratively to build climate change resilience by supporting crop productivity, soil and plant health and biodiversification.
For her work in this area, Vasseur was recently recognized with a Certificate of Registration as a Professional Agrologist (Honorary) with the Ontario Institute of Agrologists. Members of the organization are recognized as leaders in Ontario's agriculture, agri-food and environmental sectors. Vasseur was also the keynote speaker at the organization's recent Annual General Meeting in Stratford, Ont.
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