For Climate Action
Our Talanoa Dialogue
What is a Talanoa Dialogue?
The Talanoa Dialogue helps communities implement the Paris Agreement by asking these questions:
Where are we?
Where do we want to go?
How do we get there?
After its global launch at the 2017 UN COP23, the process is being used to facilitate conversation between business, governments, and the public to accelerate action on climate change.
Our class hosted a Talanoa Dialogue on April 30, 2019 in St. Louis, MO.
We invited participants to learn and share their wisdom, skill, and commitment to accelerate action on climate change.
We also developed resources to support others, like you, in hosting dialogues.
Below are photos and featured moments of our event!
Interactive session on Climate Change with WUSTL Students
Presented by: Social Ecological Systems for Spatial Design, WUSTL Students
During this interactive gallery students shared their proposals for urban mitigation and adaptation. Proposals investigated a variety of topics including:
multimodal transportation
coastal development and insurance
desertification and urban forests
migration of climate refugees
and women and girls
Investigations were grounded in the theory and methods of social ecological systems and ecological economics.
Citizen Watershed Modeling and Green Infrastructure Siting in the St. Louis Region
Watershed planning is a critical element of the OneSTL Water and Green Infrastructure Working Group's goals and unlocks EPA and other funding streams.
Students from WUSTL Sustainability Exchange explored the feasibility of a simple model, STEPL, that allows communities to estimate pollutant loads and assess the effectiveness of green infrastructure, which is a key element of the planning process. Students piloted the tool on a watershed in North County.
Students presented on the process of watershed modeling, how it fits within the EPA-mandated watershed planning process, and the feasibility of using a STEPL model to further advance green infrastructure efforts in the St. Louis region.
Presented by: Seth Blum, Zachary Leonard, Yi Liu, and Sydney Welter, Sustainability Exchange, WUSTL
Climate Change in the Midwest:
Challenges and Responses
Setting the stage for the dialogue session, John Posey's presentation provided an overview of the impacts of climate change, both in the Midwest and at a global scale.
Focused on responses to climate change and its effects on ecosystems, human health, transportation, infrastructure, agriculture, and biodiversity, as identified in the Fourth National Climate Assessment.
Posey highlighted challenges, as well as, the good work being accomplished in the Midwest such as integrating climate adaptation into planning processes to better manage climate risks.
Presented by: John Posey, Director of Research Services for the
East-West Gateway Council of Governments
Talanoa Dialogue
on Climate Change
Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good by sharing of ideas, skills, and experience through storytelling.
A conversation to learn faster together to increase action on climate change.
Facilitated by: Andrea Godshalk, lecturer, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at WUSTL
Presented by Social Ecological Systems for Spatial Design,
a course examining climate change and biodiversity loss
through the lens of social ecological systems
and ecological economics.
Acknowledgements
Sponsored by the Sam Fox Office of Socially Engaged Practice, CityStudioSTL and in collaboration with the OneSTL Sustainability Lab and the Sustainability Exchange.
Thanks to:
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Aaron Young, Sustainability Planning Manager, and Gena Jain, Sustainability Planner for East-West Gateway Council of Governments
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Colin Wellenkamp, Executive Director, Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI)
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Liz Kramer, Associate Director, Office of Socially Engaged Practice
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Fair Shares Combined Community Supported Agriculture (CCSA)