Nancy Doubleday, of the Department of Philosophy, McMaster University, and HOPE Chair in Peace and Health, is pleased to share the recent announcement of the OceanCanada SSHRC Partnership led by Dr. Rashid Sumaila, of University of British Columbia. This interdisciplinary research collaboration includes 15 Canadian universities, non-governmental organizations, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The partnership will examine the future health and economic potential of Canada’s oceans from coast to coast to coast. Nancy Co-chairs the Arctic Ocean Working Group of OceanCanada with Fraser Taylor of Carleton University.
Chair of the IGU Cold Region Environments Commission, member of the Philosophy Department, at McMaster, and a geographer, lawyer and environmental scientist, Doubleday is a transdisciplinary scholar focused on engaged collaborative research for peace, health, justice and sustainability. The Working Group intends to provide an Arctic Ocean Atlas based on platforms developed by the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, in connection with fine-grained community-case studies. The project has been awarded $2.5M for a term of 6 years. According to Sumaila, “OceanCanada will map out possible future scenarios for our coastal communities so we can prepare and plan for the challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.”
Doubleday, who holds the HOPE Chair in Peace and Health at McMaster University is providing transdisciplinary expertise, and plans to conduct research exploring the relationships between oceans and humans, including relationships driven by physical, economic and social changes. This research is necessary to encourage appropriate policy responses for sustainability, social justice, peace and health. This work will ultimately enable citizens across Canada to connect with global concerns for the health of the ocean environment, recognizing that we all depend upon it.
Photo: courtesy of Nancy Doubleday, shows Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada
