News

Kirsten Müller, Professor in Biology and Waterloo Climate Institute delegate who attended COP28 in Dubai, reflects on the lack of discussion of nature at the proceedings. December 9th was the thematic day at COP28 for Nature, Land Use and Ocean. Many of the conversations and capacity building in the side events, pavilions and final plenary were focused on nature-based solutions for climate change, conservation, preservation and recovery of biodiversity in critical marine and terrestrial habitats. The conversations ranged from, the need to engage with indigenous communities in small island states, to establishing marine protected areas (and how to finance these), to technologies to track and retrieve fishing gear that contribute to microplastics, and the need for sustainable fishing and shipping practices.

The first Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake report has been released by the Tourism Panel on Climate Change (TPCC) timed with the UN COP-28 Climate Conference. Its 24 key findings aim to support policymakers and the tourism industry in accelerating planning and investment toward low-carbon and climate-resilient global tourism.

University of Waterloo climate change and sustainable tourism expert Professor Daniel Scott was the co-lead, along with Professor Susanne Becken of Griffith University in Australia. The TPCC is a network of over 60 leading international tourism and climate experts from over 30 countries.

Waterloo Climate Institute member and University of Waterloo professor Dr. Amelia Clarke, launched a first-of-its-kind project helping Canadian cities transition to net zero. She envisioned a collaborative approach to tackling climate change. When the federal government announced its Climate Action and Awareness Fund, she asked the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ICLEI Canada and other academics across Canada if they’d like to co-design a partnership together. They were successful in their bid and were able to secure $4 million for the project.

Shahan Salim, a PhD a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences and a member of the Waterloo Climate Institute’s COP 28 delegation, has designed a platform to use data from low-cost air quality sensors to monitor and predict adverse outcomes related to air pollution exposure in low-income countries.

The Waterloo Climate Institute and Waterloo's North Campus Community Garden (NCCG) share a common interest in exploring the nexus between food production (and eating!) and climate action.

Waterloo researchers and Waterloo Climate Institute members test what it takes to convert forests to productive farmland and explore how to make that transition equitable.

Yimin Wu, Waterloo Climate Institute member, is the Tang Family Chair in New Energy Materials and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo. His latest research has found a way to capture carbon and turn it into sustainable, clean fuel at a lower cost than previous methods. He says being more economically viable will make the technology more attractive to industry.

Waterloo Climate Institute Member Kelsey Leonard receives the first national healing forest designation in Waterloo - The David Suzuki Foundation and the National Healing Forests Initiative recognize a campus urban forest for its spiritual connection and healing properties. This designation supports the university's commitments to decolonization, Indigenization, and reconciliation.

Nandita Basu, Waterloo Climate Institute member and professor in the departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth and Environmental Sciences, is the recipient of a prestigious award recognizing her contributions to international water research.

Waterloo researchers, including Climate Institute members Olaf Weber, Horatiu Rus and Jason Thistlethwaite, publish new paper that reveals half of our watersheds have a moderate to high potential for water risk