Transcript Wrap Up: Where do we go from here?

Wrap Up: Where do we
go from here?
Dr. Irene Henriques
JPAC Member for Canada
Associate Professor, Schulich School of
Business, York University
Challenge
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I would like everyone in this room to now change
your perspective. I want us to move away from a
position of dismay and paralysis to one of hope and
change.
How can each of you, in your respective
organizations – whether citizen of a country,
government leader, member of an NGO, business
leader, scientist, medical health professional,
community leader, employee, entrepreneur, educator
– initiate change?
Panel I: Continued Growth and
Integration of North American
Societies
What are the prospects for integrating
environmental considerations in the development
of an integrated North American transportation
sector?
 Is North America prepared to receive the influx of
people who will be displaced by environmental
disasters/stresses around the world?
 Are businesses, government and citizens prepared
to take action on things that they have influence on
today instead of pointing fingers – in other words,
are we prepared to show leadership?
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Panel II: Global Environmental
Change – The Challenges for NA
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It has been said that there are only three options when
considering how we respond to the impacts of climate
change: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering.
Given the complexity of the challenge, what is the
importance of international cooperation, and what is
the importance for local, country-specific action?
Does the existence of complexity and uncertainty
mean we do nothing?
How can we prepare our health system to meet not
only an aging population but also building flexibility
in our medical system to address climate change
risks?
Are we not all stakeholders in this problem and
should we not all take responsibility?
Panel III: Environmental Security
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Security is no longer a purely homeland defense or public
safety concept.
Energy security may prompt us to explore previously ignored
or protected sources of oil. Is this the socially optimal
solution?
Food security may become a more prominent issue as the
agricultural output is reduced by climate change and the
conversion of crops into fuel. Are we willing to accept the
consequences this may have on food supply?
The possibility of abrupt and cataclysmic weather events can
have serious economic and social consequences.
Thus, we see that security concerns can have environmental
implications (e.g. from increased oil production and
consumption), which can in turn have consequences for
security
Leadership
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Management is doing things right; leadership is
doing the right things. Peter F. Drucker
Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to
do and let them surprise you with their results.
George S. Patton
A leader is a dealer in hope. Napoleon Bonaparte
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Let us be leaders to future generations….
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