Reflections at the Aga Khan Garden: One Earth - Climate Change and Our Collective Commons
"For a central part of the garden tradition is the high calling of human stewardship, our responsibility to honour, to protect, and to share the gifts of the natural world."
His Highness the Aga Khan, Edmonton, October 2018
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The impact of human behaviour on the natural world has perhaps never been as stark or reached as critical a point as it has today. Increasing periods of drought, chronic water shortages and variations in temperature have been affecting people’s ability to feed themselves, raise livestock and produce adequate income. In certain areas of the world, this problem has been compounded by terrain that is prone to natural disasters like flooding, avalanches and mudslides. Such disasters can destroy family and community assets in an instant, forcing some communities to migrate and relocate. It can also increase the pressure on land, which often results in conflict over natural resources.
Join Aliya Jasmine Sovani, an award-winning television host, producer and environmental journalist for an engaging conversation on climate change and how we preserve life on earth. Aliya will be joined by Dr. Stanford Blade, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Alberta and Onno Ruhl, General Manager of Aga Khan Agency for Habitat. Dr. Blade will share his perspective on how climate change is impacting food security and access, while Mr. Ruhl will explore the impact on communities that are more prone to natural disasters due to climate change. Our experts will discuss some of the collective actions we can take as a society to help bring about a more sustainable world for all.
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Reflections at the Aga Khan Garden aims to engage leading thinkers and change-makers in dialogue on the most pressing issues of our time. The series is a joint partnership between the University of Alberta and the Ismaili Council.