Hirsch, Rachel
Postdoctoral Fellow in Arctic Climate Change Policy
BSc (Psychology) Alberta, PhD (Geography) Western Ontario
Email: rhirsch@yorku.ca
Website: http://www.yorku.ca/rhirsch/
Areas of Academic Interest
- Cultural approaches to climate change response and recovery
- Community resilience in the Canadian Arctic
- Ecological health
- Traditional, local and scientific ‘ways of knowing’
- Narrative analysis
I came to the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) at York University from the University of Western Ontario where I completed my PhD in Geography to further explore the social context of hazard experiences. Risk judgments, as socially constructed phenomena, are rooted in everyday contexts that frame individuals' hazard experiences. Similarities and differences therefore exist between how stakeholders perceive various environmental hazards and corresponding response options. I will be focusing on how an ecological health approach can inform climate change policy in the Canadian Arctic. I am interested in the Fikret Berkes' (University of Manitoba) school of thought that approaches resiliency by focusing on how humans understand their relationship with natural systems. I am therefore interested in how different worldviews (i.e., indigenous, local, scientific) influence the ability of communities to cope with climate impacts. The FES offers a unique opportunity to work with an interdisciplinary team on these issues.
Select prizes & awards
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2008-2009)
- SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship (2006-2008)
- SSHRC Master’s Canada Graduate Scholarship (2005-2006)
Select publications
Hirsch, R. (2010). Modelling governance structures and climate change policy communications on community resilience in the Canadian Arctic. In D.A. Swayne, W. Yang, A.A. Voinov, A. Rizzoli, T. Filatova (Eds.), Proceedings of the iEMSs Fifth Biennial Meeting: International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software (iEMSs 2010). International Environmental Modelling and Software Society, Ottawa, Canada. [Invited Contribution].
Hirsch, R., & Baxter, J. (2010). Context, cultural bias, and health risk perception: The 'everyday' nature of pesticide policy preferences in London, Calgary, and Halifax. Manuscript accepted to Risk Analysis.
Hirsch, R. A., Baxter, J., & Brown, C. (2010). The importance of skillful community leaders: Understanding municipal pesticide policy change in Calgary and Halifax. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 53(6), 743-757.
Hirsch, R., & Baxter, J. (2009). The look of the lawn: Pesticide policy preference and risk perception in context. Environment & Planning C: Government and Policy, 27(3), 468-490.