The focus of much of the world was on climate change for two weeks in early November as part of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow, Scotland. A number of University of Hawaiʻi faculty and students participated, along with UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno who served as a key panelist on two COP26-related online events.
- The Global Safety Podcast, produced by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation in the United Kingdom, featured Bruno as part of a panel on its podcast Sustainable Future: Climate Change, Coastal Communities and COP26 on November 3. Bruno along with three experts from organizations around the world discussed how coastal communities can build resilience. Listen here.
- The Economist hosted Insight Hour: Enhancing Stewardship for the Safe, Sustainable Use of the Ocean on November 17. Bruno joined a panel of global change leaders to discuss the importance of effective ocean engineering and “ocean citizens” for the safe and sustainable use of marine resources. View webinar here.
Bruno, an expert in ocean observation systems, climate change and community resilience, emphasized the value of community resiliency.
“The importance of community action comes right down to individuals. We find time and time again that before, during and after significant events like a hurricane or tropical cyclone, it is the community that is a source of resilience,” said Bruno in the Global Safety Podcast. “It’s the community that is the source of adaptation. And I think a lot of that falls to us as scientists to educate. It’s going to boil down to communities. I really believe that.”
Bruno has published more than 100 articles in various aspects of these fields, including the book, The Urban Ocean (Cambridge University Press, 2018) that provides a deeper understanding of the physics of the coastal ocean in an urban setting.
“I am honored to be able to keep these conversations going through my participation in these well-respected online forums. It truly takes concerted action by engaged communities to bring about real change, and how great to see our UH colleagues take part in these global discussions to inspire and help facilitate our next steps in the ongoing climate crisis,” said Bruno.
This is an example of UH Mānoa’s goal of Building a Sustainable and Resilient Campus Environment: Within the Global Sustainability and Climate Resilience Movement (PDF), one of four goals identified in the 2015–25 Strategic Plan (PDF), updated in December 2020.
