Graduate Student, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies
University of Northern British Columbia

 

Ian Picketts has been Ian has an environmental engineering degree from Queen’s University, and extensive experience working and volunteering for a variety of environmental projects. Prior to returning to school at UNBC, Ian worked with the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development, an environmental non-governmental organization based out of Alberta, as an environmental policy analyst. Ian is using his environmental experience to teach two classes while studying at UNBC. The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) inter-university Adjudication Committee awarded Ian a graduate fellowship in 2008 as an outstanding student scholar in climate change impacts and adaptation at UNBC.

 

For his graduate research, Ian is working with the case study community of Prince George as the City develops a long term climate change adaptation strategy, to plan for the changes that the City is now facing and will face in the future. The strategy will be incorporated into local community planning. It will also serve as a model for adaptation that communities across BC and abroad can use as they endeavour to incorporate climate change adaptation into their land use plans. To produce this strategy, Ian organized and facilitated a one day workshop focused on adaptation to climate change at the Planning Institute of BC annual conference “Planning for Climate Change: Acknowledging the past, preparing for the future” in June 2008. Ian also ran a workshop with key stakeholders from Prince George in November of 2008, which was aimed at furthering understanding of the likely impacts of climate change in the Prince George area, and identifying potential adaptive measures. Ian’s research will help provide a better understanding of the current state of climate change adaptation in BC, and the barriers that communities face which prevent them from effectively planning to adapt to climate change.