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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.

Graduate student opportunities

For further information, visit the Concordia Climate Change Adaptation Lab website.


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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