Collective Event

Climate Conversation: The ‘Climate’ of Political Polarization and Misinformation in Canadian Politics

February 12, 2025, 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm

UBC Vancouver Campus | AERL 107

If you missed this event, read a summary here.

In this tumultuous period in Canadian politics, concerns over issues like polarization as it relates to climate change, and climate misinformation are front of mind for many.  

Join colleagues from the Department of Sociology and the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions for a ‘Climate Conversation’ around these topics. Dr. Emily Huddart, will share her experience in researching ideological polarization with respect to climate change, and Dr. Chris Tenove will share research he and his CSDI colleagues are doing on climate misinformation in Canada.  

These Climate Conversations are intended to be an informal opportunity to hear from colleagues with expertise in the subject area, ask questions, and join in dialogue.  Bring your lunch and we will provide the tea.   

This event is being hosted as part of UBC's Climate Emergency Week.

If you are interested in media enquiries, please reach out to UBC Media Relations. 
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Discussion Leads

Emily Huddart

Emily Huddart, Professor and Associate Head, Department of Sociology

Emily Huddart is an Associate Head and Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Her research explores the motivations behind civic engagement aiming to protect the environment, and how pro-environmental practices reflect and reproduce social differences.  Her research program is inspired by her curiosity with human-environmental relationships. Within this general area, she uses empirical evidence to explore two broad questions. First, what motivates civic engagement in efforts to protect the environment? Second, how do pro-environmental beliefs and practices reproduce social divisiveness and differences? She engages these broad questions in a research program centered on examining how gender, class, and political ideology contour environmental beliefs and practices and social solidarity.  She is a member of the Center for Climate Justice.

 

Chris Tenove

Chris Tenove, Assistant Director, Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions

Chris Tenove is a Research Associate and Instructor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and the Assistant Director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI). Dr. Tenove conducts research in the fields of political theory, political communication, and international relations. At CSDI, he oversees research and policy engagement projects on topics including platform governance and democracy. He has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the challenges that digital media pose to democracy and human rights.  Dr. Tenove’s policy reports have tackled topics such as social media regulation, artificial intelligence, election security, and responses to online harassment. His reports with CSDI include Harmful Hallucinations: Generative AI and Elections, and Trolled on the Campaign Trail: Online Incivility and Abuse in Canadian Politics. He regularly publishes op-eds and engages news media, and previously worked as an award-winning journalist.

Event Co-hosts

 

UBC Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (CSDI) 

The CDSI is part of the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). It pursues interdisciplinary publicly-engaged research, teaching, and dissemination of knowledge about democratic innovations and challenges, particularly those related to digital technologies. CSDI leads and participates in projects at the local (BC), national (Canada), and international levels. In recent years, much of our research and policy engagement has focused on social media and AI governance, and the role of digital media in elections and health communication.  Subscribe to the newsletter.

 

UBC Climate Solutions Research Collective

The Climate Solutions Research Collective is a pan-university initiative designed to build connections across UBC climate researchers, groups and initiatives and to encourage new collaborative research on climate change solutions.  Through seminars, workshops, and a graduate student Solutions Scholars program, it aims to foster engagement across departments and Faculties, and to support graduate students and faculty in applying their research and expertise to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and/or education.  Join the mailing list.

 
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  • Collective Event

First Nations land acknowledegement

We acknowledge that UBC’s campuses are situated within the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.

Climate Solutions Research Collective

UBC receives support for managing its research enterprise from the federal Research Support Fund.

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