Building a climate-smart world

IDRC’s associate director for climate change recently addressed parliamentarians as the featured guest speaker at the popular Bacon and Eggheads breakfast lecture series. Speaking to a packed audience including MPs, senators, and senior public servants, Robert Hofstede shared results from some of the Centre’s most successful climate adaptation and development research projects.

“Over the past decade, international research led by Canada has helped to reduce climate shocks, improve food security, raise household income, and promote health and gender equity in more than 70 countries across the Global South,” Hofstede told his audience. He went on to offer examples of IDRC-funded sustainable value chains, disaster reduction initiatives, and clean energy projects to reduce environmental impacts and create business opportunities.

“These results are a big win for Canada. Efforts to increase resilience and human security lead to a more stable world and enhance Canada's Climate Action commitment. Not only do they establish us as a global leader in climate adaptation research, they also deliver expertise and innovations directly applicable to the Canadian situation.”

An expert in tropical ecosystems, Hofstede has 25 years of experience in environmental management and rural development with numerous international agencies. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and has published widely on tropical ecology, nature conservation, and climate change in academic publications, policy papers, and opinion articles.