Ph.D in Geography. Department of Geography, Boston University (2005).
Dissertation: Decision making for reducing vulnerability given new climate predictions:
Case studies from Metro Boston and Rural Zimbabwe.
Masters in Community Planning and Development. Edmund S. Muskie School of Public
Service, University of Southern Maine (1999).
Civil and Hydraulic Engineering degrees (six-year program). Universidad Nacional
de La Plata, Argentina (1995).
WORK EXPERIENCE
Red Cross / Red Crescent Climate Centre.
Associate director of programs. July 2007 to present.
Technical advisor. July 2005 to June 2007.
Oxfam America.
Climate change advisor, Private Sector Team. July 2007 to present.
Project: Microinsurance for climate change adaptation in Ethiopia.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Consultant, Adaptation, Technology and Science Programme. August to September 2007.
Project: Nairobi Work Programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.
World Bank, Infrastructure and Environment Unit.
Consultant, Development Economics Research Group. July 2005 to June 2007.
Project: Institutions for Adaptation to Climate Change.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Video production consultant, Sub-Regional Office Trinidad & Tobago. January to May
2007.
Project: DIPECHO VI videos on climate change .
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Potsdam, Germany.
Communications consultant. March to December 2006.
Project: Use of Video Tools for Disaster Management and Climate Change Adaptation.
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Consultant, Environment and Water Department. August to October 2006.
Project: Climate Risks of DGIS Portfolio in Bolivia.
International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canada).
Consultant, Rural Poverty and Environment program. August to September 2006.
Project: Climate Change Adaptation in Africa - Research and Capacity Development (CCAA).
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
Consultant. September to December 2005.
Project: Development and Adaptation Days at COP-11.
International Society for Environmental Protection (ISEP) / UNEP.
Consultant, UNEP/GEF Coordination Office (ISEP contract). November 2002 to January
2003.
Project: UNEP GEF-IW:LEARN Best Practices.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Consultant, Division of Early Warning and Assessment. July to September 2002.
Project: Inter-American Water Resources Managers Forum.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Consultant, International Directorate. February to April 2002.
Project: Ecosystem dynamics and essential human needs: Developing a multidisciplinary
research agenda for the Plata River Basin.
GEF International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN).
Facilitator, Inter-American Water Resource Managers Forum. Foz do Iguaçu,
Brazil, July to September 2001.
Maine State Planning Office. Augusta, Maine.
Planning and Research Associate, Floodplain Management Program. March to August
1999.
Project: Integration of hazard management into the comprehensive planning
process for Maine communities.
INCOBYP Engineering Consultants. La Plata, Argentina
Project Manager. September 1996 to August 1997 and May to August 1998; entry-level
engineer. February to August 1996.
Projects included: Analysis of the stormwater system of San Isidro Municipality:
Diagnosis and proposals; as well as design of several drainage systems.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Laxenburg, Austria.
Research Scholar, Risk and Vulnerability program, February 2006 to present.
Project: Feasibility of risk financing schemes for climate adaptation: The
case of Malawi.
Boston University, Department of Geography. Boston, MA.
Visiting Scholar, June 2005 to present.
Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC).
Senior Research Associate, April 2005 to present.
Project: Climate change adaptation and capacity building.
Boston University, Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Boston, MA.
Research Assistant, September 2002 to April 2005.
Project: Testing the ability of subsistence farmers to use seasonal climate
forecasts: A participatory approach in Zimbabwe.
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Laxenburg, Austria.
Visitor, July-August 2002
Project: Risk, Modeling and Society.
Boston University, Department of Geography. Boston, MA.
Research Assistant, August 1999 to August 2002
Project: Climate's Long-term Impacts on Metro Boston.
MIT, Center for Environmental Initiatives. Cambridge, MA
Research Affiliate, August 1998 to May 1999
Project: The Hidrovía Navigation Project as a tool for Sustainable
Development.
Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service. Portland, ME.
Graduate Assistant, August 1997 to May 1999
Project: Economic impact of protecting Maine coastal islands.
Universidad Nacional de La Plata, School of Medical Science. La Plata, Argentina.
Research Associate, August 1995 to February 1996.
Project: Creation of Formal and Non-Formal Educational Spaces for AIDS and
Substance Abuse Prevention.
PUBLICATIONS
JOURNAL ARTICLES
Patt, A. G., Suarez, P. and Gwata, C. (2005). Effects of seasonal climate forecasts
and participatory workshops among subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences 102 (35): 12623-12628.
[pdf]
Suarez, P., Anderson, W.A., Mahal, V. and Lakshmanan, T. R. (2005). Assessing
the impacts of flooding and climate change on urban transportation: A systemwide
approach for the Boston Metro Area. Transportation Research Part D: Transport
and Environment 10 (3): 231-244.
Suarez, P. and Patt, A. G. (2004). Cognition, caution and credibility: The risks
of climate forecast application. Risk, Decision and Policy 9 (1): 75-89.
Suarez, P. (2001). Climate change, flood risk and property values: an assessment
of vulnerability and equity in the Boston Metro Area. Journal of Science
and Faith Exchange 5 (1): 125-144.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Suarez, P., Ribot, J. and Patt, A.G. (forthcoming). Gender and climate change vulnerability: what's the problem, what's the solution? In: Ruth, M. and Ibarraran, M. E. (eds). The Distributional Effects of Climate Change: Social and Economic Implications. Edward Elger: Cheltenham, UK.
Patt, A.G., Daze, A. and Suarez, P. (forthcoming). Climate information, equity and vulnerability reduction. In: Ruth, M. and Ibarraran, M. E. (eds). The Distributional Effects of Climate Change: Social and Economic Implications. Edward Elger: Cheltenham, UK.
TECHNICAL REPORTS AND PROCEEDINGS
Suarez, P., Linnerooth-Bayer, J. and Mechler, R. (2007). Feasibility of risk financing schemes for climate adaptation: The case of Malawi. Report prepared for the World Bank Development Economics Research Group. IIASA: Laxenburg (Austria).
Red Cross / Red Crescent Climate Centre (2007). Red Cross / Red Crescent Climate Guide. Geneva: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (Contributing author).
Hellmuth, M. E., Moorhead, A., Thomson, M. C. and Williams, J. (eds.) (2007). Climate Risk Management in Africa: Learning from Practice. International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). New York: Columbia University. (Contributing author).
Gonzales Iwanciw, J. and Suarez, P. (2006). DGIS Climate Risk Project: An analysis of the Dutch cooperation portfolio in Bolivia. Report prepared for the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS).
Suarez, P. (2005). Mozambican Red Cross Climate Change Program. Mission report
prepared for the Red Cross / Red Crescent Centre on Climate Change and Disaster
Preparedness.
Suarez, P. (2004). Reducing vulnerability to climate variability and change:
Cognitive and behavioral obstacles to rational use of information. In: Applied
Research Grants for Disaster Reduction – A Compendium of Project Reports.
Hazard Management Unit, The World Bank.
Suarez, P. (2003). International Waters Best Practices Database: Lessons Learned
and Recommendations for Future Interactive Sessions. Prepared for United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), UNEP/GEF Coordination Office.
Kirshen, P., Wilson, C., Suarez, P., Knee, K., Ruth, M., Anderson, W. and Lakshmanan,
T. R. (2003). Integrated Impacts of Climate Change-Induced Sea Level Rise in
Metro Boston and Adaptation Strategies. In: Bizier, P. and DeBarry, P. (eds),
Proceedings of the World Water and Environmental Resources Congress held in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 24-26, 2003.
Suarez, P. (2002). GEF-IW-LAC Electronic Forum and the Inter-American Water
Resource Managers Forum: A Post-Activity Process Report. Prepared for the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Division of Early Warning and Assessment.
Ratchford, M., Bromley, L. and Suarez, P. (2002). Science for sustainable development:
Developing a multidisciplinary research agenda in the Plata basin. In: Proceedings
of the First International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management. Monterrey,
Mexico, November 2002.
Suarez, P. and Sklarew, D. (2002). Transboundary Waters Management: Perspectives
from Latin America and Caribbean Managers. In: Proceedings of the First International
Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management. Monterrey, Mexico, November 2002.
Suarez, P. (2002). Urbanization, Climate Change and Flood Risk: Addressing the
Fractal Nature of Differential Vulnerability. Proceedings
of the Second Annual IIASA-DPRI Meeting - Integrated Risk Management: Megacity
Vulnerability and Resilience. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
Laxenburg, Austria, July 2002.
Anderson, W. P., Lakshmanan, T. R. and Suarez, P. (2001). Assessing the Economic
Impacts of Extreme Climate Events on Surface Transportation in the Boston Metropolitan
Area. Interim report for Climate's Long Term Impacts in Metropolitan Boston
(CLIMB) project.
Suarez, P. (2000). Hazard Mitigation. In "Comprehensive Planning: A Manual
for Maine's Communities". State Planning Office. Augusta, Maine.
Suarez, P. (1996). La Conquista del Título Universitario. pp 247-254.
Proceedings of the First Argentine Congress of Engineering Education. Universidad
Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Córdoba.
FILM
The Global Climate is Changing the Caribbean (2007). Series of four videos and six TV spots on disaster management in the context of climate change in Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and St.Kitts & Nevis. Directed by P. Suarez; produced by the Red Cross / Red Crescent Climate Centre (with support from DIPECHO).
Sudestada (2006). 20-minute documentary about the work of the Argentinean Red Cross in the flood-prone shantytown of Monte Matadero. Directed by F. Benavídez and A. Santoro; co-produced by P. Suarez and R. Klein (with support from PIK).
GLOBALL
- Common Goals in a Changing Climate (2005). Short experimental video that
shares the voices of Argentinean shantytown dwellers and Mozambican and Bangladeshi
farmers and teachers. Climate change seriously threatens these communities united
in the ubiquity of soccer. Directed by F. Benavídez and A. Santoro; co-produced
by P. Suarez, S. Taylor and Benavídez-Santoro.
El Zanjón
(2004). Short documentary about a participatory workshop on flooding and climate
change in a shantytown in the Buenos Aires Metro Area. Directed by F. Benavídez
and A. Santoro; produced by P. Suarez.
PEER REVIEWS
Manuscripts (ad hoc): Journal of Environmental Management
Disasters
Reliability Engineering & System Safety
Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC) World Resources Institute (WRI)
Grant proposals (ad hoc): International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA
National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), Panama
National Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology (ANPCYT), Argentina.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
United Nations Institute for Training and Researc (UNITAR) and partners.
2006 Advancing Capacity for Climate Change Adaptation (ACCCA).
Audiovisual tools for climate change adaptation: Bridging the Malawi Red Cross and Meteorological Service.
Social Science Research Council (SSRC) - Program on Applied Economics.
2004 Risk and Development Field Research Grant.
Reducing Climate Vulnerability for Development: Modeling Present Bias in rural
Zimbabwe and periurban Argentina.
ProVention Consortium (World Bank and Partners)
2003 Applied Research Grant for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Variability and Change.
Social Science Research Council (SSRC) - Program on Applied Economics.
2003 Risk and Development Field Research Grant.
Reducing Climate Vulnerability for Development: Cognitive and behavioral obstacles
to rational use of information.
Global Environment Facility - International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource
Network.
2003 International Waters Fellow for Latin America and the Caribbean.
University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service
1998 Board of Trustees Scholarship.
Cooperative of Educators for Democratic Initiatives (CIID)
1992 Scolarship "Valorizzazione Linguistica e Culturale Italiana".
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
"The Red Cross work in a changing climate: Challenges and opportunities".
Series of seminars offered at the Red Cross National Societies of Argentina, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, as well as meetings of IFRC sub-regional delegations for the Caribbean (Port of Spain), Central America (San Salvador) and East Africa (Mombasa).
"Audiovisual tools for climate policy: Focus on community adaptation".
Seminar at the Stockholm Environment Institute. October 13, 2006. Stockholm, Sweden.
"Climate change, Disaster preparedness and the future of the Cayman Islands".
Presentation to the Cabinet of Ministers of the Cayman Islands. July 25, 2006. George Town, Grand Cayman.
"Can a design from La Plata save lives in Africa? Climate change and early warning systems".
Seminar at the Department of Industrial Design, Universidad Nacional de La Plata. July 1, 2006. La Plata, Argentina.
"Why exclude risk reduction from weather insurance? Integrating ENSO forecasts in the Malawi pilot scheme". Seminar at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Earth Institute. June 14, 2006. Palisades NY, USA.
"Audiovisual Tools for Community-Level Adaptation: Towards a decision research agenda".
Seminar at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED), University of Columbia. June 13, 2006. New York, USA.
"Oxfam's work in a changing climate: Challenges and opportunities".
Seminar at Oxfam Great Britain. May 17, 2006. Oxford, UK.
"Oxfam's work in a changing climate: Challenges and opportunities".
Seminar at Oxfam America's Board meeting. February 10, 2006. Washington DC,
USA.
"Reversed mainstreaming? Climate change and time preference in community
disaster management". Development & Adaptation Days at COP 11. December
3, 2005. Montreal, Canada.
"Video Tools for Community-Level Disaster Risk Reduction: Developing Awareness
and Training Through Audiovisual Media". Fifth Annual IIASA-DPRI Forum
on Integrated Disaster Risk Management: Innovations in Science and Policy. September
14-18, 2005. Beijing, China.
"Using audiovisual media for awareness, advocacy and action in climate
adaptation: Case studies from Argentina, Mozambique and Zimbabwe". Second
International Work Conference on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.
June 21-24, 2005. The Hague, The Netherlands.
"Reducing vulnerability with new climate predictions: A development agenda".
Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. April 26, 2005. Brighton,
England.
"Community-level adaptation in developing countries: Lessons from Argentina,
Mozambique and Zimbabwe". International Workshop on Community-Level Adaptation
to Climate Change. January 16-18, 2005. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
“El Zanjón: The use of film and audiovisual media for climate
adaptation in the South". Development and Adaptation Days at COP 10. December
11-12, 2004. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
"Expanding the role of climate predictions in disaster preparedness".
Cranfield Mine Action and Disaster Management Centre, Cranfield University.
October 20, 2004. Cranfield, England.
"Bridging scientific research and community dynamics through information:
Lessons from the South". Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR). Aug 31, 2004. Pretoria, South Africa.
"From the climate model to the Argentine shantytown: Rethinking the role
of forecasts among marginalized communities". Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research (PIK). June 15, 2004. Potsdam, Germany.
"Community-based vulnerability reduction: Using climate information to
trigger participatory adaptive processes". International Research Institute
for Climate Prediction (IRI), Earth Institute. April 29, 2004. Palisades
NY, USA.
"The GEF International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network".
Second Water Fair of Central America and the Caribbean. November 26, 2003. Panama
City, Panama.
"IW:LEARN y las herramientas de información y comunicación
del GEF". Taller sobre Sistemas de Información y Gestión,
Proyecto DELTAMÉRICA. July 22-23, 2003. Brasilia, Brasil.
"Getting our climate news on the News: Lessons from the media". Seventh
Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF 7). September 1-4, 2003.
Lusaka, Zambia.
"How can our science address their exclusion problems? Climate information,
economics and vulnerability". 53rd Pugwash Conference: Advancing Human
Security - The Role of Technology and Politics. July 15-17, 2003. Halifax, Canada.
"Climate information as a neoclassical approach to risk? Addressing the
root causes of vulnerability" (with J. Ribot). Third Annual DPRI-IIASA
Meeting: Integrated Disaster Risk Management - Coping with Regional Vulnerability.
July 3-5, 2003. Kyoto, Japan.
"Global discourses and local environmental change: Rethinking infrastructure
projects". Latin American Studies Association 2003 International Congress:
The Global and The Local - Rethinking Area Studies. March 27-29, 2003. Dallas
TX.
"Spaces of domination, places of control: An exploration of power in Abelardo
Castillo's "Patrón" and its adaptation to film" (with
C. Schulze). Cine-Lit V: International Conference on Hispanic Film and Fiction.
February 28, 2003, Portland OR.
"Synergies between mitigation and adaptation to climate change in cities"
(with M. Ruth, P. Kirshen, W. Anderson, T. R. Lakshmanan, A. Amato, K. Knee,
D. Gute, and J. Horowitz). Special Symposium on Cities in Transition: Climate
Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation. Annual Meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science. February 13-18, 2003. Denver, CO.
"Errors of omission and commission: The risks of climate forecast application"
(with Tony Patt). 45th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association: Africa
in the Information and Technology Age. December 5-8, 2002. Washington DC.
"Transboundary waters management: Perspectives from Latin America and Caribbean
managers" (with Dann Sklarew). First International Symposium on Transboundary
Waters Management. November 2002. Monterrey, Mexico.
"Seasonal forecasts, agriculture and food security: A users' perspective".
Sixth Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF 6). September 4-6,
2002. Harare, Zimbabwe.
"Climate change as a security issue? Poverty, vulnerability and the unrecognized
manifestations of conflict". 52nd Pugwash Conference on Science and World
Affairs - Science, Security, Sustainability. August 9-14, 2002. University of
California San Diego.
"Urbanization, climate change and flood risk: Addressing the fractal nature
of differential vulnerability". Second Annual IIASA-DPRI Meeting - Integrated
Risk Management: Megacity Vulnerability and Resilience. July 30, 2002. Laxenburg,
Austria.
"Regional development projects, human needs and the capitalization of nature".
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2002 Annual Meeting
- Symposium on Wildlife and Wild Land Conservation in the Americas. February
17, 2002. Boston MA.
"Climate change, regional development and equity: A look at the Hidrovía
Navigation Project in South America". ISODARCO Summer Course - Global Climate
Change and Impact on Natural Resources. June 20 to 29, 2001. Candriai (Trento),
Italy.
"Climate change, flood risk and property value: Assessment of vulnerability
and equity in Boston". Boston Theological Institute - Second Annual Science
and Religion Colloquium. April 26, 2001. Boston MA.
"Water, climate variability and environmental justice". Worcester
Polytechnic Institute - Student Pugwash Regional Conference on Resources and
Multinational Corporations. March 30 to April 1, 2001. Worcester MA.
"Global Forces and Water management in Argentina". 'The Other Side
of Globalization' Symposium. November 19, 1997. University of Southern Maine,
Portland ME.
"La conquista del título universitario". First Argentine Congress
of Engineering Education. October 7 to 11, 1996. Rio Cuarto, Argentina.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
School of Engineering, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, March 1990 to February
1996.
Teaching Assistant for the following courses:
Calculus IV and V
Analytic Geometry
Structures I and II
Hydraulic Projects
Legal Engineering
LANGUAGES
Fluent written and oral communication:
Spanish (first language)
Italian (mother tongue)
English
Working knowledge:
French
Portuguese
ADDITIONAL COURSES AND SEMINARS
Participatory Video. Insight. Oxford (UK), October - November 2006.
Regional Science. School of Architecture and Urbanism, Universidad Nacional
de La Plata. Completed three semesters of the Carrera de Especialización
de Postgrado en Ciencias del Territorio. February 1996 to July 1997.
Environmental Effects of Public and Private Assignment of Resources. Centro
de Estudios Bonaerense. La Plata, September 1995.
Environmental Pathology and Science. Universitá dei Studi di Siena, Italy,
and Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. August and September 1995.
Environmental Education for Sustainable Development. UNESCO School for Sustainable
Development. La Plata, November 1994.
Introduction to University Teaching. Universidad Nacional de La Plata, August
1994.
Environmental Impact Assessment. UNESCO and the Latin American School of Environmental
Sciences. La Plata, September 1994.
Environmental Hydrology. School of Natural Sciences, Universidad Nacional de
La Plata, 1993.
Waves, Particles, and the Structure of Matter. Harvard University, 1988.
EXTRA-ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
Pro bono advisor on climate change, Oxfam America (private sector team). July 2006 to June 2007.
Member of the organizing committee of the United Nations Association Film Festival
– Boston. April 2005 to present.
Member of the Board of Directors of International
Student / Young Pugwash, student affiliate of the Pugwash Conferences on
Science and World Affairs (recipients of the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize). April
2003 to September 2004.
Member of the Board of Directors of Student
Pugwash USA. October 2001 to October 2003.
President, Boston University Student Pugwash, September 1999 to January 2003.
Vice-President, Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service Student Organization.
1998-1999.
Co-Editor of the literary publication "La Roca". La Plata, January
1995 to March 1996. Director of the cultural publication "Moebius".
La Plata, April 1993 to March 1994.
Member of the Department of Mathematics Advisory Council, Universidad Nacional
de La Plata. June 1994 to October 1995.
Secretary of Culture of the School of Engineering Student Organization, Universidad
Nacional de La Plata. November 1993 to October 1994.
Tenor Sax in The
Al Capone Blues Band (1994). Studies of flute at Conservatorio Provincial
Gilardo Gilardi, 1984-1988, and member of the choirs Saengerfest
(2004 to present), Agrupación Coral Antares (1989-1995) and Coro Juvenil
de la Universidad de La Plata (1985-1989).
Countries visited: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy,
Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, St. Kitts & Nevis, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, United States, Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Pablo Suarez
Department of Geography and Environment
Boston University
675 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston MA 02215
Telephone: (508) 358-5204
Fax: (508) 358-5204
Cell: (617) 783-3046
e-mail: suarez@bu.edu