Department of Geography and Planning Seminar Series
Speaker: Dr. Huy Dang, Trent University
Wednesday September 18, 2024
3:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Miller Hall | Room 201
ABSTRACT: Tipping points are crucial thresholds in climate and socio-environmental systems. Once crossed, a system would expect significant and irreversible changes, transforming it into a fundamentally different state. A stark example is the alarming retreat of the Mekong Delta, driven by climate change and unsustainable human activities along its riverbanks and delta regions in recent decades. This trajectory threatens to submerge a landscape that has taken millennia to evolve, impacting millions of inhabitants and jeopardizing a key economic hub.
A green transition is, therefore, much needed to slow the climate crisis, for which critical minerals play a crucial role, particularly in key sectors such as renewable energy and electric vehicles. However, the skyrocketing global demand for these natural resources and the lack of environmental guidelines and regulations can be the primary challenges against sustainable development goals, given that the extraction of critical minerals, e.g. rare earth elements, is often associated with severe environmental impacts.
Through our research activities conducted in Canada, France, and Vietnam, this seminar explores the sustainability challenges and policies related to water and natural resources in the context of climate and ecological tipping points.
DR. HUY DANG is an Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Trent University, where he leads the ENIGMA (ENvironmental Isotope Geochemistry and Mass spectrometry Applications) lab. His research focuses on unravelling the complexities of integrated ecosystems by providing insights into elemental cycling from both natural and anthropogenic sources. As a Director Board member of the Trent Water Quality Center, HD contributes to a world-class facility housing a unique array of mass spectrometers. In 2019, HD was awarded the Golden Globe in Science & Technology for Early Career Scientists and the Medal for Creativity of Vietnam and was named one of Vietnam鈥檚 20 Outstanding Young Faces under 35. In 2022, the ENIGMA group received the Trent University Research Impact Award for conducting original and impactful research that contributes to society on local, regional, national, and international scales.