Hadi Dowlatabadi
Wall Associate
Hadi Dowlatabadi, Professor Emeritus of the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, is a facilitator and mediator for global multi-stakeholder dialogues for the World Commission on Dams and the World Bank’s forestry policy. He focuses on the quantification of uncertainties, exploration of the dynamics of integrated models of human and natural systems and their interactions, energy technologies and policy, climate change mitigation, adaptation and policy.
His research is focused at the interface of nature, humans, technology and policy. He uses a systems approach to capture the dynamics of such systems as well as what is known and unknown about it. This permits the use of a value of information approach to focusing on research that matters most. Once the bare bones of a problem are combined with the psychology and sociology of public perception and problem definition the research will identify the paths that have led to the problem and barriers to finding solutions that avoid repeating similar challenges.
Hadi has served as Lead Author for the IPCC, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and reviewer for WHO’s Global Burden of Disease. He has worked with 42 PhD students to complete their degrees and published over 150 peer reviewed papers. He has co-founded half a dozen non-profit and for profit initiatives to bring better solutions for meeting human needs.
Primary Recipient Awards
The Wall Catalyst Emeriti cohort meets monthly to share research experience and engage with guest lecturers on the topic of the Climate and Nature Emergency. They will generate op-ed pieces and/or manifestos in the public media and, where possible, reinforce local initiatives relevant to ameliorating environmental change impacts.
The cohort also engages with the general membership of the UBC Emeritus College by contributing to the College’s general programming which is also open to the general public.
Understanding and Addressing Energy Poverty in Musqueam
Principal Investigator: Hadi Dowlatabadi, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, UBC
Partner Organization(s): Musqueam Indian Band, BC Hydro
An estimated 1-3 million Canadian households suffer from energy poverty, and have a hard time meeting their basic energy needs. However, the concept of energy poverty is little explored, and often not distinguished from income poverty. Most programs that address energy poverty are designed with energy conservation mandates that consider energy a commodity, rather than a component of delivering essential services. BC Hydro's low-income Energy Conservation Assistance Program (ECAP), for example, is designed with the mandate to reduce energy consumption and is evaluated solely based on its success in realizing energy savings. ECAP faces challenges in targeting the right audiences and devising programs that are accessible to the energy poor. Working closely with the Musqueam community, this project will assess the community's access to energy services before, during and after engagement with ECAP. The project is designed to facilitate the community's access to ECAP through targeted interventions. Through collaboration with BC Hydro and the identification of barriers to access and implementation of ECAP, the project aims not only to improve households' energy performance, but also to contribute to the design of energy assistance programs that are more accessible to their audience.
