Climate Change, Development Topic of Annual Winegard Lecture
January 22, 2008 - News Release
The third annual Winegard Lecture in International Development will be given by David Runnalls, president of the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD), Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 103 of Rozanski Hall.
The talk, titled "Climate Change and Development: Engaging the South in the Fight to Save the Planet," is free and open to the public.
Runnalls has been at the forefront of the environment and development debate for more than 25 years. He was the research director for Only One Earth, the book that set the tone for the first global environment conference in 1972. He joined the Winnipeg-based IISD in 1993 and was named president in 1998.
Over the years, Runnalls has served on numerous task forces and agency boards and has been an adviser to many international and national agencies, including the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa and the United Nations Development Program.
Runnalls served as co-chair of the China Council Task Force on WTO and Environment and was the Canadian board member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources for six years. He was also a member of the federal External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation.
He was director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Program at the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Ottawa, helped found the International Institute for Environment and Development and directed both its London and Washington offices.
He currently serves on the board of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University, the Advisory Committee on Partnerships to the Minister for International Cooperation; and the Advisory Council for Export Development Canada.
An occasional writer and broadcaster, Runnalls has served as environment columnist for CBC Radio and CTV television, was a member of the Discovery Channel's regular environment panel and a political columnist for the Earth Times.
The Winegard Visiting Lectureship in International Development was created in 2005 with an endowment by former University of Guelph president Bill Winegard and his family to stimulate interaction among faculty, students and international leaders on the need for official development assistance and Canada's role in this important issue.
Winegard served as U of G’s president and vice-chancellor from 1967 to 1975 and was a member of Parliament for Guelph from 1984 to 1993. In addition to being named Canada’s first minister of science, he chaired the House of Commons standing committees on external affairs and national defence and external affairs and international trade. He also served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade. He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1998.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, l.hunt@exec.uoguelph.ca or Deirdre Healey, Ext. 56982, d.healey@exec.uoguelph.ca
