Expert panel tackles Kyoto controversy

Should Canada ratify the Kyoto Protocol and take the lead in the fight against global warming? Or would ratification result in undue economic hardship and little if any reduction in greenhouse gases?

Several UVic researchers will debate the controversial agreement during a panel discussion hosted by the economics department on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Strong Building, room C103.

The panel will discuss the science, economics and politics of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change and then participate in a question and answer session. Questions may be submitted in advance by Oct. 29 via e-mail by visiting <www.uvic.ca/econ/> and following the links.

Among the participating panelists are:

• environmental economist Dr. Peter Kennedy, whose research focuses on environmental policy design, most recently in the context of climate change, and who has been a consultant on environmental policy to the federal government, the Canadian International Development Agency and the World Bank;

• Dr. Cornelis van Kooten, who holds a Canada Research Chair in environmental studies and climate change. His research includes analyses of the impact of climate change on forestry, agriculture and water and the economics of forests as carbon sinks;

• Dr. Andrew Weaver, who holds a Canada Research Chair in atmospheric science. Earlier this year he was awarded a 2002 Killam research fellowship and the Young Explorers Prize as one of the country’s top 20 researchers in science and engineering 40 and under. His research focuses on large-scale ocean circulation and the role of the oceans in climate.