Public Conference on Climate Change and Biodiversity
The event « Mission Antarctique: La Terre vue de la mer, Conférence de Jean Lemire sur les changements climatiques et la biodiversité » featured Mr. Jean Lemire, a biologist and filmmaker who was invited to share his experience as expedition leader of Mission Antarctique. This event was organized in partnership with the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), as well as the Granby Zoo, La Presse, and Radio-Canada.
Mr. Gilles Gauthier, Dean of the Faculty of Science at UQAM, Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the CBD, Sidney Ribaux, cofounder and general coordinator of Équiterre, and finally, Mr. Jean Lemire delivered speeches that evening. The master of ceremony was Mr. Charles Tisseyre, a renowned TV host and science communicator.
Mr. Gauthier gave a short address on behalf of UQAM, the main partner of the event. Dr. Djoghlaf spoke of the importance of IBD and the reasons behind the choice of this year’s theme: Biological Diversity and Climate Change. Mr. Ribaux spoke of Équiterre and its mission, the Kyoto Protocol, its implementation, and the involvement of actors and stakeholders in Québec.
As the main presenter, Mr. Lemire talked about his most recent expedition, which took him to the Antarctic Peninsula for 430 days. He explained, with the use of pictures and video footage, the magnitude of climate change in this region and the serious impact it is having on Antarctic wildlife.
The conference was very well attended, with 1115 tickets sold and over one hundred media and VIP passes given out, despite a strike in the Montreal public transit system on that very same day.
