Waterloo COP27 delegate, Alexandra Ho, has returned from Egypt and provides insight into the shifting conversation dynamics, trending topics and priorities that she witnessed at this year’s climate change negotiations. She shares her reflection and key takeaways, and reminds us of the humanity and connection centered in the work of pursuing a net-zero future.
As the negotiations have wrapped up, we look back on three significant contributions by Waterloo Climate Institute members at COP27 including accelerating climate resilient tourism, advancing insights in climate law and governance, and launching evidence for action on peatland conservation, restoration, and management.
At the fall 2022 Climate Change Hackathon, seven interdisciplinary student teams presented solutions to climate change problem spaces at the final pitch competition. The teams were mentored by Waterloo Climate Institute members Dr. Juan Moreno-Cruz, Dr. Marta Berbés-Blázquez, and Dr. Joyce Kim, including the winning team H2GRO who secured the top prize of $5,000!
From November 6-18, the world will come together in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the international climate change negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) annual Conference of the Parties (COP). Before the University’s COP27 delegation departs, the Waterloo Climate Institute held an in-person discussion with them to reflect on the crucial issues that need to be tackled, Canada’s role in the negotiations, and what outcomes they hope to witness and achieve.
From a series of airborne radar surveys and modelling, a team of researchers led by Dr. Christine Dow, professor in the school of Geography and Environmental Management and a Waterloo Climate Institute member, discovered the 460-km river under the Antarctica ice sheet that could be the missing link to climate models. Their findings show the base of the ice sheet has more active water flow than previously thought, which could make it more susceptible to changes in climate.
Under the banner of Waterloo’s new Sustainable Futures initiative, the Waterloo Climate Institute (WCI), Water Institute (WI), and Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) are looking for emerging top scholars to work across the institutes on interdisciplinary research at the cross-section of climate change, energy and water. If you are interested in joining our team, please submit a short expression of interest along with an up-to-date CV by November 7, 2022. Top candidates will be endorsed by one or more of the executive directors of the three institutes, who will work with you to apply to the Provost’s Program for Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Scholars ahead of the December 1, 2022 deadline.
The High-altitude Aerosols, Water Vapour and Clouds (HAWC) mission received $200 million of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) funding to create transformative new satellite instruments for measuring changes in the atmosphere. Waterloo Climate Institute member, Dr. Chris Fletcher, is part of a scientific consortium developing satellite technology for the mission to better understand climate change and helping pave the way for space-age climate science.
The Assembly of First Nations Second National Climate Gathering, Preserving our Earth, Land and Water for Future Generations, took place from September 27 to 29, 2022 in Fredericton, New Brunswick on the traditional unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik, Mi’kmaq and Peskotomuhkati peoples. It was an opportunity to bring together First Nations experts, leadership, youth, women, Knowledge Keepers and other professionals from across Turtle Island to work on climate change. Katherine Allaby, a Master of Environmental Studies in Geography student, supervised by Waterloo Climate Institute member, Brent Doberstein, attended the Climate Gathering and shared her key takeaways with the institute.
On September 19, the University of Waterloo launched the Sustainable Futures initiative – a collaboration that brings together the Waterloo Climate Institute, the Water institute, and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy to accelerate holistic approaches to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on the interconnections between energy, climate and water.
Climate Students, the Waterloo Climate Institute's student-led group that facilitates research, education, and action on climate change at the University of Waterloo, in the community, and on the global stage, is recruiting. Undergraduate and graduate students interested in an executive member role are encouraged to apply before October 14.