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Past Activities

2025 

  • Seminar: "Planning for change: Exploring resilience in the Yukon through local and regional approaches to climate change adaptation", online", January 20, 2025
    • Speaker: Alison Perrin, Yukon University (Canada)
    • Hosted by the UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience Speaker Series, and the Northern Students’ Association Northern Spotlights Series, University of Alberta (Canada).
    • Supported by the School of Urban and Regional Planning University of Alberta (Canada).
  • Seminar: "Global Challenges, Local Struggles: Dissecting Arctic climate change and Indigenous Peoples adaptation in Nunatsiavut", online, February 10, 2025
    • Speaker: Ishfaq Hussain Malik, University of Leeds (UK)
    • Hosted by the UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience Speaker Series, and the Northern Students’ Association Northern Spotlights Series, University of Alberta (Canada).
    • Supported by the School of Urban and Regional Planning University of Alberta (Canada).
  • Seminar: "Exploring Climate Adaptation in Northern Communities", online (Zoom) on April 1, 2025
    • Panelists explore local-scale climate adaptation in Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States, across three domains: economy, infrastructure/ utility, and governance. In partnership with PLOS-Climate (journal). 

    • Panelists:

      • Rikke Becker Jacobsen, Associate Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
      • John Duffy, Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage, United States
      • Nadezhda Filimonova, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Lapland, Finland

    • Chairs/ Moderators:

      • Jeff Birchall, Associate Professor, University of Alberta, Canada
      • Desiree Rose, PhD Student, University of Alberta, Canada

    • Hosts:

      • UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience
      • PLOS-Climate

  • Panel Session: “Climate adaptation through urban planning: Enabling and constraining factors”

    • Venue: Adaptions Futures Conference
    • When/where: Oct 12-16, 2025/ Christchurch, New Zealand
    • Chair/ Moderator: Jeff Birchall, Lead, UArctic TN on Local-scale Planning for Climate Resilience
    • Panelists:
      • Desiree Rose, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta, Canada

        Exploring health-focused climate adaptation planning in Western Canadian cities

      • Nicole Bonnett, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta, Canada
        Local planning for climate induced relocation: Insights from the Canadian Arctic
      • Nina Rogers, Lecturer, University of Tasmania, Australia
        Exploring leadership for climate-responsive municipal governance
  • Conference Presentation: “Progress on climate change adaptation in practice: Insights from local and territorial government interactions”
    • Venue: Adaptions Futures Conference
    • When/where: Oct 12-16, 2025/ Christchurch, New Zealand
    • Presenters:
      Desiree Rose, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta, Canada 
      Nicole Bonnett, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta, Canada 
      Jeff Birchall, Associate Professor, University of Alberta, Canada
    • See the AF2025 Presentation

Publications 2025

  • Sandberg, L., Bonnett, N., Birchall, SJ. (2025). Adapting to environmental hazards in Norway: Confusion over legal responsibility results in stalled action and greater risk of disaster. Intl. J. of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105807 
  • Rose, D., Birchall, SJ. (2025). Investigating the extent and quality of health-focused climate adaptation planning: Insights from Western Canadian communities. Environmental Science & Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104192 
  • Bonnett, N., Birchall, SJ. (2025). Local planning for climate induced relocation: A systematic review. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.105094
  • Birchall, SJ., Bonnett, N., Rose, D., Gilchrist, E. (2025). Factors contributing to climate adaptation lag in practice: Insights from local and territorial government interactions. Environmental Science & Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104097. Read news here.
  • Kehler, S., Birchall, SJ. (2025). Why history matters to planning: Climate change, colonialism & maladaptation. Environmental Science & Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104076. Read news here.
  • Baran, N., Birchall, SJ. (2025). The influence of ecosystem service values on green infrastructure and urban development: Insights from 5 Canadian municipalities. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2025.2528643.

  • Rose, D., Birchall, SJ., Filimonova, N., Jacobsen, RB., Duffy, J. (2025). Climate adaptation in northern communities: The value of framing, flexibility, and knowledge. PLOS Climate 4(11): e0000759. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000759

2024

  • Annual Partners Meeting
  • Seminar: “A Look at the Waste Management-Climate Change Nexus in Indigenous and Northern Communities”
    • Online, November 22, 2024, 12-1pm (MST)
    • Speaker: Anderson Assuah, University College of the North (Canada)
    • Hosted by the UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience Speaker Series, and the Northern Students’ Association Northern Spotlights Series, University of Alberta (Canada).
    • Supported by the School of Urban and Regional Planning University of Alberta (Canada).
    • See attached for session poster 
    • See attached for PDF of presentation 
  • Workshop + Panel: Circumpolar Education Program on Environmental Change and Resilience, Arctic Congress (2024), Bodø, Norway.
    • Chair/ Host: UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience
    • Panelists:
      • Jeff Birchall, University of Alberta
      • Diane Hirshberg, University of Alaska Anchorage
      • Helene Svendsen, GRID-Arendal, Norway
      • Anthony Speca, Læra Institute for Circumpolar Education
      • Jamie Bell, @1860 Winnipeg Arts Collective
    • Moderator: Maeva Gauthier, University of Victoria
    • Date/ Time: May 29, 2024, 15:00-17:00
    • Location: Quality Hotel Ramsalt, Sjøgata 37, 8006 Bodø, Norway
  • Paper: A last resort or a sustainable adaptation option?: Planning for relocation in Northern communities vulnerable to climate stressors. Session: Adaptation to Climate Change (2.4). Arctic Congress (2024), Bodø, Norway. (by Nicole Bonnett & Jeff Birchall). Date/ Time: June 1, 2024, 09:00-10:30. Location: Fram Cinema - Room: Hall 1
  • Roundtable: Resilience in the North: Mapping A Path and Measuring Progress. Arctic Congress (2024), Bodø, Norway. Host: Arctic Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center
    • Partners:
      • Arctic Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center
      • High North Center, Nord University Business School
      • Association of World Reindeer Herders
      • UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience
    • The Roundtable will build on previous activities, and provide an opportunity to:
      • review an initial catalogue of the Arctic resilience cases that have been identified.
      • consider other potential cases that could contribute to our understanding of Arctic resilience; and
      • develop a framework for documenting these cases to draw out key features and characteristics of the cases, identify measures and indicators of resilience, advance our understanding of the concept and how it is being applied, and draw out lessons about resilience from the Arctic.
    • Date/ Time: June 1, 2024, 13:30-15:00
    • Location: Thon Nordlys Hotel - Room: Børvasstind
  • Session: The Architecture of Urban Cooperation: Fostering Local Development in a Changing Arctic (2.5.1). Arctic Congress (2024), Bodø, Norway. Chair: Nadezhda Filimonova, Belfer Centre for Science and International Affair (UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience). Date/ Time: June 1, 2024, 13:30-15:00. Location: Stormen Concert Hall - Room: Kammersal
  • Paper: Progress on climate resilience in practice: Insights from local and territorial government interactions. Session: Building capacity and institutional (2.5). Arctic Congress (2024), Bodø, Norway. (by Desiree Rose, Jeff Birchall & Nicole Bonnett). Date/ Time: June 1, 2024, 13:30-15:00. Location: Stormen Concert Hall - Room: Kammersal
  • Plenary Panel: Climate and the Environment, Arctic Congress (2024), Bodø, Norway.
    • Chair: Sara Olsvig, Chair ICC, Greenland
    • Moderator: Anne Husebekk University of Tromsø, Norway
    • Panelists:
      • Young researcher: Nicole Bonnett, University of Alberta, Canada (UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience);
      • Arctic ambassador: Eric Carlson, Senior Arctic Official, USA;
      • Indigenous knowledge holder: Julius Mihkkal Lindi, the Saami Council
    • Date/ Time: June 1, 2024, 17:00-18:00
    • Location: Stormen Concert Hall - Room: Main Hall
  • Paper: We Need to Talk: A case study on the importance of meaningful communication and collaboration for fostering community resilience. Community Planning Association of Alberta Annual Conference (2024), Red Deer, Canada. (by Nicole Bonnett, Desiree Rose, S. Jeff Birchall). Date: April 30, 2024.
  • Paper: Advancing solid waste management in Arctic and Subarctic cities. Session: Arctic Cities’ Policymaking in Response to Climate Change. International Studies Association Conference (2024), San Francisco, USA. (by Nadezhda Filimonova & S . Jeff Birchall). Date: April 6, 2024.
  • Speaker Series: Captive in a prone area? Landowner responsibility for preventing disaster risk in the built environment in Norway (online, February 14, 2024, 10-11am (MST)):

2023

2022

2021

2020

  • Videoconference - Thematic Network Partners Meeting (Oct 26, 2020)
  • Workshop - The importance of being flexible: Research doesn’t always go the way you expect! The case of Dawson City, Yukon. Quick Response Research Workshop. Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and the Natural Hazards Center (September, 2020). Delivered virtually by Jeff Birchall (University of Alberta, Canada).
  • (virtual) Seminar - Local-scale Climate Resilience. University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada, March, 2020).

2019

  • Videoconference - Inaugural Partners Meeting (November, 2019).

Thematic Network Cross-links

Press/Media

University of Alberta, Faculty of Science media release: New international network on climate change led by UAlberta scientist

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