Jose Di Bella is the manager of research and partnerships at the Waterloo Climate Institute. Jose works closely with the Institutes’ researchers, partners and collaborators to advance community engaged research. He also leads the Institute’s research development strategy and knowledge mobilization programs. Jose’s experience includes a significant international focus on the social and economic aspects of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as well as the design and implementation of climate and sustainability strategies. Jose is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the department of Geography and Environmental Management.
Email: jose.dibella@uwaterloo.ca
Current projects
- ELEMENTs: Stories of placed based transformation in a changing planet. Co-creating a digital exhibition with international artists drawing on stories of transformation and visions of sustainable solutions in communities affected by climate associated disasters.
- Climate Adaptation and Disaster Resilience across Supply Systems. This project is funded by Natural Resources Canada in the context of the National Adaptation Program. We are implementing this project is being carried out in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction of the Americas and the Caribbean (UNDRR), Trade Facilitation Office Canada (TFO Canada), and the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies ARISE Canada to develop a suite of tools for investing in climate adaptation to multiple risks derived from climate change and disaster risk reduction.
- Southwestern Public Health Unit reducing heat risk of vulnerable populations. This initiative is a partnership with SWPH to design and deploy an urban climate solution. This collaboration focuses on undertaking the design and supporting the implementation of a pilot initiative to advance some of the recommendations outlined in their recent health vulnerability assessment report.
- TRANSFORM: Accelerating sustainability entrepreneurship experiments in local spaces. As part of a team led by Prof. Sarah Burch, we are currently leading a series of capacity building and urban experimentation research partnerships in Canada and Latin America.
Recent Projects
- Living Labs as Catalysts for Innovation for Climate Adaptation (2020-2022)
Organic Farmers Cooperatives, Baja California Mexico, and California, USA - This program accelerated understanding of disaster risk, bolstered disaster governance through co-production and social learning, and developed a roadmap for community investments in adaptation. The program mapped risk with community members, collected farmer resilience-building practices, and enhanced participant capacities through engagement in data collection and implementation of disaster management strategies. - Business Model Innovation Toolkit and trainings for the Central American region (2023)
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (Americas and the Caribbean -Developed a training curriculum, designed a guide for businesses to better understand, plan and implement practices for disaster risk reduction. The project included the delivery of a series of capacity building workshops with over fifty small and medium enterprises, national disaster management agencies and civil society organizations. - Parliamentary Toolkit on Disaster Risk Reduction (2022)
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (Geneva) - Interviewed over twenty parliamentarians worldwide and designed the toolkit to help parliaments and parliamentarians to initiate, strengthen and oversee national, subnational and local development, progress and investment to develop and implement Disaster Risk Reduction legislation and policy. - Parliamentary Trainings on Climate Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction (2018)
Parliamentary Centre Canada / United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (Americas and the Caribbean) - Designed and coordinated the parliamentary dialogue and field learning on disaster risk for parliamentarians of Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean held in Panama City. This dialogue was intended to exchange good practices and promote risk-informed decision-making and legislation for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKDh9UdlyJM&t=43s
Selected Publications
Peer Review
DiBella, J., Burch, S. Forest, N. Rao-Williams, et al. (2022) “Sustainable business practices for strategic resilience-building in local spaces” Business Strategy and the Environment
Burch, S., DiBella, J., Wiek, A., Frantzeskaki, N. et al. (2022) “Building urban resilience through sustainability-oriented small- and medium-sized enterprises” Urban Transformations
Burch, S., & Di Bella, J. (2021). Business models for the Anthropocene: accelerating sustainability transformations in the private sector. Sustainability Science, 16(6), 1963-1976.
McDowell, G. Stevens, M, Lesnikowski, A., Huggel, C., Harden, A., DiBella, J., Morecroft, et al. (2021) “Closing the adaptation gap in mountains” Adaptation in Mountain Regions
DiBella, J. (2019). The spatial representation of business models for climate adaptation: An approach for business model innovation and adaptation strategies in the private sector. Business Strategy and Development
Delgado, G. Aragón-Durant, F., DiBella, J., Henriquez, C., Hernandez, C. (2019) Book Chapter “Rural and Urban Climate Change Adaptation in the Americas”, RIOCCC Network of Climate Change Offices, Climate Change Adaptation in Latin America
Toolkits, playbooks and policy guides
DiBella, J. et al (2024) “Solutions Lab: A Blueprint for Accelerating Youth-Led Climate Solutions”. Fundación Avina, Argentina
DiBella, J. (2023) “A quick guide for business model innovation and climate and disaster risk reduction”. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction UNDRR and the Alliance for Private Sector Disaster Resilient Societies ARISE Central America
DiBella, J. (2021) “Parliamentary Toolkit on Disaster Risk Reduction” United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Inter-Parliamentary Union - UNDRR Geneva