Impacts Through Scientific Research
The IHACC project makes significant policy impacts at national and international scales. At the international level, several team members are authors on various Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, bringing IHACC research results to policy at a global scale. For example, research by our team members was cited 34 times in the IPCC “Global Warming of 1.5°C” report, 63 times in the “The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” special reports, and most recently is noted 58 times in the 6th Assessment report (publication in 2022), on which our team members are advocating for inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and diverse knowledge synthesis.
impacts through knowledge translation and mobilization
The IHACC project is guided by core principles embodied in CIHR’s model of integrated knowledge translation (IKT). This involves working with stakeholders throughout the project to co-produce knowledge. In this model, dissemination is not an activity that occurs at the end of the project if funds are left, but an ongoing activity which is key to the success of the project. Research impact is maximized in different ways, informed by partners and communities, and all with the goal of reaching stakeholders as effectively as possible.
+ ADAPT TO EAT WEBSITE
Developed by IHACC research assistant Matthew King in collaboration with the Indigenous community of Nuevo Progreso, the Adapt to Eat website gives visitors a look into the food system of the Shawi people. This website invites you to learn more about the changes happening in the Peruvian Amazon, and aims to dispel assumptions about modern indigenous life.
+ IHACC RESEARCH BOOKLETS
The IHACC team has developed a variety of research dissemination booklets to share research highlights across contexts:
Floods, Markets, and Institutions: What's changing food security in the Peruvian Amazon?
Iqaluit's Food System under Climatic Stress: A case study of the 2010/11 extreme winter
Responses to Food Insecurity: Experiences of users of community based programs in Iqaluit, Nunavut
training of highly qualified personnel
A strength of the IHACC program is the mentorship of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) within a team composed of junior and senior researchers, knowledge users, Indigenous organizations and communities themselves. Training will create climate-health leaders through hands-on experience with partner organizations and community members. HQP will gain knowledge of participatory, community-based approaches, how to work in cross-cultural and intersectoral contexts, how to engage communities in research, and skills in dissemination methods, communication, and cultural sensitivities. These skills are transferable to research, policy, and community development contexts and are particularly relevant given the growing importance of intersectoral and participatory approaches to climate-health research and policy.
team Expertise, Partnerships, and network development
The IHACC team has leading experts in climate change, climate change adaptation, and health. The over 800 articles (cited >10,000 times) our team members have published are indicative of the team's research productivity. Our impact also extends beyond publishing: for example, the team's work has been profiled in a UN report on best practices for engaging Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in adaptation research, highlighted in Debates of Senate and in Northern Legislatures, and profiled in the Chief Public Office of Health's Report on the State of Health in Canada.
This research program represents a continuity of collaboration with our partners, and is based on an understanding of the needs and context in which our partners work. Such contextual factors and relationships are essential for policy-relevant research in challenging cross-cultural contexts.
Furthermore, team members are widely engaged in scientific and policy networks on climate change, health and adaptation, and have held influential roles in these networks.
