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Dr. Alexandra Lesnikowski

Assistant Professor, Geography, Planning and Environment


Dr. Alexandra Lesnikowski
Phone: (514) 848-2424 ext. 7314
Email: alexandra.lesnikowski@concordia.ca
Website(s): Concordia Climate Change Adaptation Lab
Availability: Upon request.


Research activities

Climate change vulnerability

Adaptation governance and policy

Urban climate action planning

Adaptation assessment, monitoring and evaluation


Teaching activities

URBS 480 Impact Assessment

URBS 230 Urbanization: Global and Historical Perspectives

GEOG 478 Climate Change: Science, Impacts and Policy

URBS 498 Planning Cities for Climate Change

HENV 660 Climate Change and Sustainability


Publications

Journal articles

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, Sebastien Jodoin, Jean-Philippe Lemay, Verity Thomas, Kasia Johnson. Human rights in climate change adaptation policies. Forthcoming in Climate Policy.


Berrang-Ford, Lea, AR Siders, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Alexandra Paige Fischer, Max W Callaghan, et al. 2021. A systematic global stocktake of evidence on human adaptation to climate change. Nature Climate Change. 11(11): 989-1000.


Ulibarri, Nicola, Idowu Ajibade, Eranga K Galappaththi, Elphin Tom Joe, Alexandra Lesnikowski, et al., Global Adaptation Mapping Initiative Team. 2021. A global assessment of policy tools to support climate adaptation. Climate Policy. 22(1): 77-96.


Thomas, Adella, Emily Theokritoff, Alexandra Lesnikowski, et al. 2021. Global evidence of constraints and limits to human adaptation. Regional Environmental Change. 21(3): 1-15.


Araos, Malcolm, et al. 2021. Equity in human adaptation-related responses: A systematic global review. One Earth. 4(10): 1454-1467.


McDowell, Graham, Madison Stevens, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Christian Huggel, Alexandra Harden, Jose DiBella, Michael Morecroft, Praveen Kumar, Elphin Tom Joe, Indra D Bhatt. 2021. Closing the Adaptation Gap in Mountains. Mountain Research and Development. 41(3): A1-A10.


Lesnikowski, Alexandra, Robbert Biesbroek, James D. Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford. 2021. Policy implementation styles and local governments: The case of climate change adaptation. Environmental Politics. 30(5): 753-790.


Lesnikowski, Alexandra, James D. Ford, Robbert Biesbroek, Lea Berrang-Ford. 2019. Characterizing climate change adaptation policy portfolios: Comparative measurementthrough policy instrument mixes. Climatic Change. 156(4): 447-469.

Conevska, Aleksandra, James D. Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski. 2019. Assessing the Adaptation Fund’s responsiveness to developing country’s needs. Climate and Development. DOI:10.1080/17565529.2019.1638225.

Berrang-Ford, Lea, Robbert Biesbroek, James D. Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, AndrewTanabe, Frances M. Wang, Chen Chen, Angel Hsu, Jessica J. Hellmann, Patrick Pringle,Martina Grecequet, J.-C. Amado, Saleemul Huq, Shuaib Lwasa, S. Jody Heymann. 2019.”Tracking global climate change adaptation among governments.” Nature Climate Change 9:440-449.

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, Ella Belfer, Emma Rodman, Julie Smith, Robbert Biesbroek,John D. Wilkerson, James D. Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford. 2019. ”Frontiers in data analytics foradaptation research: Topic modeling.” WIREs Climate Change 10(3): e573.

Biesbroek, Robbert, Lea Berrang-Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Stephanie Austin, andJames D. Ford. 2018. ”Data, concepts and methods for large-n comparative climate changeadaptation policy research: a systematic literature review.” WIREs Climate Change 9 (6):e548.

Conevska, Aleksandra, James D. Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, and Sherri Harper. 2019.”Adaptation financing for projects focused on food systems through the UNFCCC.” ClimatePolicy 19 (1): 43-58.

Biesbroek, Robbert, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Lea Berrang-Ford, Martinus Vink, and JamesFord. 2018. ”Do Administrative Traditions Matter for Climate Change Adaptation Policy?A Comparative Analysis of 32 High Income Countries.” Review of Policy Research 35 (6):881-906.

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, James D. Ford, Robbert Biesbroek, Lea Berrang-Ford, MichelleMaillet, Malcolm Araos, and Stephanie E. Austin. 2017. “What Does the Paris AgreementMean for Adaptation?” Climate Policy 17 (7): 825-831.

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, James D. Ford, Robbert Biesbroek, Lea Berrang-Ford, and S.Jody Heymann. 2016. “National-Level Progress on Adaptation.” Nature Climate Change 6(3): 261-264.

Ford, James D., Simon E. Tilleard, Lea Berrang-Ford, Malcolm Araos, Robbert Biesbroek,Alexandra Lesnikowski, Graham K. MacDonald, Angel Hsu, Chen Chen, and LiviaBizikova. 2016. “Opinion: Big Data Has Big Potential for Applications to Climate ChangeAdaptation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113 (39): 10729–32.

Araos, Malcolm, Lea Berrang-Ford, James D Ford, Stephanie E Austin, Robbert Biesbroek,and Alexandra Lesnikowski. 2016. “Climate Change Adaptation Planning in Large Cities:A Systematic Global Assessment.” Environmental Science and Policy. 66: 375-382.

Ford, James D., Lea Berrang-Ford, Robbert Biesbroek, Malcolm Araos, Stephanie Austin, andAlexandra Lesnikowski. 2015. “Adaptation Tracking for a Post-2015 Climate Agreement.”Nature Climate Change 5: 967–69.

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, James D Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford, Magda Barrera, and Jody Hey-mann. 2015. “How Are We Adapting to Climate Change? A Global Assessment.” Mitigationand Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 20 (2): 277–93.

Berrang-Ford, Lea, James D. Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Carolyn Poutiainen, MagdaBarrera, and S. Jody Heymann. 2014. “What Drives National Adaptation? A Global Assess-ment.” Climatic Change 124 (1–2): 441–50.

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, James D. Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford, Magda Barrera, Peter Berry,Jim Henderson, and S. Jody Heymann. 2013. “National-Level Factors Affecting Planned,Public Adaptation to Health Impacts of Climate Change.” Global Environmental Change 23(5): 1153–63.

Ford, James D., Lea Berrang-ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Magda Barrera, and S JodyHeymann. 2013. “How to Track Adaptation to Climate Change: A Typology of Approachesfor National-Level Application.” Ecology and Society 18 (3): 40-54.

Paterson, Jaclyn A., James D. Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, PeterBerry, Jim Henderson, and Jody Heymann. 2012. “Adaptation to Climate Change in theOntario Public Health Sector.” BMC Public Health 12 (1): 452.

Lesnikowski, Alexandra, James D. Ford, Lea Berrang-Ford, Jaclyn Paterson, Magda Bar-rera, and S. Jody Heymann. 2011. “Adapting to Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Studyof UNFCCC Annex I Parties.” Environmental Research Letters 6 (4): 044009.


Book chapters, reports, scientific assessments

Lesnikowski, Alexandra and Timo Leiter. Assessing progress on climate adaptation in Canada: Building blocks and best practices for a robust monitoring and evaluation system. A scoping paper for the Canadian Climate Institute. 2022.


O’Neill, Brian, Maarten van Aalst, Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim, et al. Chapter 16: Key Risks Across Sectors and Regions. Sixth Assessment Report. Working Group II: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2022. [Contributing Author]


Harper, Sherilee L., Rebekka Schmitter, Aamir Fazil, Manon Fleury, James D. Ford, Alexandra Lesnikowski, Deborah McGregor, Jaclyn Paterson, Ben Smith, Hannah Tait Neufeld. Chapter 8: Climate Change, Food Security, Food Safety, and Health. Climate Change and Health Assessment. Health Canada. Government of Canada. 2022. [Contributing Author]


IANAS. Taking action against climate change will benefit health and advance health equity in the Americas. (S.L. Harper J.N. McNeil, Eds.) Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) and InterAcademy Partnership (IAP). 2022. [Lead Author]


Biesbroek, Robbert, and Alexandra Lesnikowski. 2018. “Adaptation.” In Governing Cli-mate Change: Polycentricity in Action?, edited by & J. Forster A. Jordan, D. Huitema, H.Van Asselt, 303–19. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Senbel, Maged, and Alexandra Lesnikowski. 2015. “Climate Change Planning and Neigh-bourhood Design for Low-Carbon, Resilient and Health Communities.” In Canadian Cities inTransition, edited by Pierre Filion, Tara Vinodrai, Ryan Walker, and Markus Moos. Oxford,UK: Oxford University Press.


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