Check out the latest Dahdaleh Institute opportunities.

Addressing Climate Change at COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference

Dahdaleh Institute faculty member Prof. Idil Boran is a full delegate at COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. This 26th annual summit brings parties together to accelerate action toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Prof. Boran is hosting an official side event—Multi-Level Action for Biodiversity and Climate: Planetary Challenge & Lessons from Latin America—in partnership with organizations and researchers from across Latin America and Europe.

The event will be livestreamed here tomorrow, November 5, at 11:30 a.m. GMT (7:30 a.m. EDT).

She will also participate in an invitation-only meeting on tracking the progress of biodiversity and climate change action by non-Party actors (including businesses, investors, civil society organizations, cities and regions, and networks).

Highlighting the impacts of climate change on human health and the urgency of taking climate action now, Prof. Boran is calling on Canada to “lead a climate-smart transformation.” As she recently explained to the Weather Network, “accelerated action requires a ‘whole of society approach,’ with efforts at all levels. It requires a change of mindset and a new approach to our relationship with nature.”

Planetary Health Film Screening at COP26

Dahdaleh Institute Research Fellow Mark Terry is at COP26 in Glasgow this week, where he received the wonderful news that his feature-length documentary—The Changing Face of Iceland—has been recognized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as an official ACE (Action for Climate Empowerment) project under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The film will be screened at COP26 on Thursday, November 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. GMT.

Mark also held a press conference for the UNFCCC's Youth Climate Report to present the films produced in this year's Planetary Health Film Lab. 

Dahdaleh Institute Now Accepting Applications for 2022 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships 

The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research is excited to invite applications for the 2022 Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarship Program.

We are seeking applications from exceptional incoming and continuing domestic and international graduate students who wish to contribute to York University’s growing global health research community. Specifically, we invite applications from students aiming to conduct research and related scholarly and creative activities in line with the three themes of the Institute: planetary health, global health and humanitarianism, and global health foresighting.

Based on the availability of funds and both the excellence and needs of applicants, annual scholarships for individual students will range from CAD $5,000 to $25,000. 

Inaugural Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships Awarded to Two Outstanding Students

The Dahdaleh Institute has awarded inaugural Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholarships to two exceptional global health graduate scholars—Beauty Umana and Sarah Khan—for their promise of excellence in research addressing key global health challenges. 

Beauty’s project will focus on TB stigma in South Africa and aim to illuminate how language commonly associated with TB prevention and treatment may be a vehicle for its implicit stigmatization.

Sarah’s research will focus on the 2016 NATO Policy for the Protection of Civilians and the prevention of displacement as a key consideration for protecting civilians in contemporary conflicts and complex emergencies. Sarah shared her initial findings with Institute members in a presentation on October 20 titled The Canadian Military's Approach to the Protection of Civilians in the Context of Armed Conflicts.

Publication - Mutual Care: Rethinking Our Relationship With Outdoor Spaces by James Stinson

Dahdaleh Institute Postdoctoral Fellow James Stinson has published an article in the magazine Mountain Life. The article discusses the growing awareness of the health benefits of spending time in nature and argues that while increasing visitation to natural areas may benefit human health, it also leads to environmental degradation. In order for outdoor recreation to foster a more reciprocal relationship between people and the planet, we need to shift from an ethic of leave no trace to an ethic of mutual care.

Stinson, J. (2021). Mutual care: Rethinking our relationship with outdoor spaces. Mountain Life, Fall 2021: The Resilience Issue: 47–48.

Publication - The Climate Crisis Is Impacting the Health of Canadians: Here’s Three Ways to Take Action Now 

Excalibur, York's student-run community newspaper, published an op-ed led by Dahdaleh Institute research assistant Niloufer Nazemzadeh. Niloufar has been working with Prof. Idil Boran on the Synergies of Planetary Health Research Initiative. The authors highlight the impacts of the climate crisis on the health of Canadians and outline three actions that students can take to learn and engage with activities to address the issues aggravated by the climate crisis. 

Nazemzadeh, Niloufar et al. (2021, October 20). The climate crisis is impacting the health of Canadians: Here's three ways to take action now. Excalibur.