The following University of Victoria (UVic) experts are available to the media for commentary on the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) being held in Antalya, Türkiye, Nov. 9–20.
Maycira Costa (Geography) directs the Spectral and Remote Sensing Lab. Her research includes ocean productivity and phytoplankton communities, coastal oceans, kelp resilience and ocean dynamics and temperatures, in collaboration with First Nations and federal and provincial agencies. She is collecting data to inform scientists and local communities on environmental conditions, including ocean temperature, conducive to kelp health, persistence and resilience, and the presence of bryozoans, a colonial animal that grows on kelps. Email: [email protected]
Sean Holman (Writing) is an expert in media coverage of climate change and the award-winning director of the Climate Disaster Project, which is running a series of student-collected climate-survivor testimonials in UK outlet The Guardian during COP31. As UVic’s Crookes Professor of Environmental and Climate Journalism, Holman is focused on the human issues of the climate crisis. He can also speak about government use and misuse of information, particularly against the backdrop of catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss, and how the Climate Disaster Project shapes policy decisions. Email: [email protected]
Basma Majerbi (Gustavson School of Business) is an associate professor of finance in the school, founder and director of the Impact Investing Hub, and co-lead of Blended Finance Canada. Her expertise in sustainable finance and impact investing offers valuable insights into how more capital can be directed towards climate solutions. Majerbi will join a panel at COP31, The Missing Trillion: Financing Energy Efficiency at Scale from Europe to Emerging Markets, exploring how blended finance and innovative investment models can unlock capital for energy efficiency and accelerate the global energy transition. Email: [email protected]
Xuebin Zhang (Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC)) is an expert in climate detection, attribution and the study of extremes in the Earth’s climate system. As director of PCIC, Zhang brings extensive knowledge of how the climate system is changing and the effects of climate change at the regional scale. Email: [email protected]
