UPEI climate scientist featured in new book as one of Canada’s ‘Forty Brilliant Canadians’
Dr. Adam Fenech, associate professor in the School of Climate Change and Adaptation at the University of Prince Edward Island, is featured in a recently published book titled Inspiring Canadians: Forty Brilliant Canadians and Their Visions for the Nation.
Author Mark Bulgutch, an award-winning CBC journalist and producer, collected inspiring stories and ideas from forty brilliant and influential Canadians whose love for Canada compels them to make this country a better place for all. The book celebrates visions of a more sustainable, equitable, welcoming, and fun country, from Canadians who believe in the possibility of an even better future.
In the book, Fenech discusses climate change and the need to act immediately to reduce greenhouse gases and prepare for inevitable climate changes through adaptation. “We live our lives very dependent on fossil fuels, and it's very difficult to transition away,” he says. “It's a real challenge to undertake. Some say we Canadians shouldn’t even try because China is still polluting, and India is still polluting, and Brazil is still polluting. But we all have a responsibility.”
Fenech is celebrating his 10-year anniversary on PEI. He was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, the only Canadian-born in an immigrant family. He completed his PhD at the University of Toronto, worked for Environment Canada for 25 years, and came to UPEI as a climate researcher. He is married to a potato farmer’s daughter from western PEI.
He gives a warning about the impending climate crisis in the book. “We are fortunate being in Canada. We have a lot of land and a lot of resources. We can adapt. We can change things. We’re not migrating just to find food. But there are huge times of uncertainty ahead. All of the scientific literature points to the year 2050 as the year everything goes to hell in a handcart. That's like tomorrow. If you think that’s an exaggeration, let me remind you that scientists are a very conservative bunch. None of the folks I know are fear-mongers. In fact, it's the total opposite.”
But he concludes with a positive vision of the future: “It's hard to be an optimist. My scientist brain says we're doomed. But I have children. I may have grandchildren one day. If I say we’re doomed, what am I saying about their future? So, I force myself to be an optimist. There are those with vision and imagination and passion who are working on solutions. I do believe humans can get ourselves out of jams when we need to.”
The book is published by Douglas & McIntyre and is available at booksellers across Prince Edward Island.
Fenech has worked extensively in climate change since the Toronto Conference on the Changing Atmosphere in 1988. He has edited eight books on climate change. He has represented Canada at international climate negotiating sessions; written climate policy speeches for Canadian environment ministers; and authored Canadian reports on climate change to the United Nations. He has taught at the University of Toronto and the Smithsonian Institution for over 25 years, and lectures regularly at universities across Canada and around the world. He shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As director of the UPEI Climate Lab, he conducts research on the vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation to climate change. His virtual reality depiction of sea level rise has won international awards, including one from MIT for communicating coastal science. He maintains the largest fleet of drones at a Canadian university, including the largest drone in the country, which has a four-metre wingspan.
Bulgutch worked for CBC News for over 35 years, starting as a reporter and producer in Montreal and then lineup editor of the CBC National for 11 years. He produced news specials for CBC, including every federal and provincial election in Canada from 1995–2013. He is the recipient of 14 Gemini awards, four Radio Television News Directors Association awards, the Canadian Journalism Foundation Award of Excellence, and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Award. His previous books include That’s Why I’m a Journalist and That’s Why I’m A Doctor (Douglas & McIntyre) and a national bestseller, Extraordinary Canadians (Simon & Schuster), co-authored with Peter Mansbridge.
