Accelerating the transition to a just, resilient, low-carbon future

The University of Waterloo Climate Institute brings together scientists and students to elevate and enhance the impact and excellence of innovative interdisciplinary research and education that empowers business, government and civil society to respond effectively to the climate crisis.

University of Waterloo’s unique combination of strengths and depth of expertise allows us to deal head-on with the complexity and interconnectedness of social, political and technological dimensions of the climate crisis.

Our expertise and focus

Our three core areas of research and innovation are developed through lenses of equity, justice, governance, and innovation to create truly impactful solutions for this existential global challenge. 

News

Researchers, faculty, students, and staff gathered on May 29th to hear about the transformational changes that have been taking place at the City of Waterloo. Ena Ristic, Senior Sustainability Officer and Sandy Little, Director of Strategy at the City of Waterloo shared how the Corporate Climate Action plan has reshaped how the municipality approaches sustainability and climate action.

Brent Doberstein, Waterloo Climate Institute member and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environment is the Principal Investigator for a research project awarded $2.5M to study Managed Retreat. Managed retreat (MR), defined as "the purposeful relocation of people, property, and critical infrastructure out of areas vulnerable to recurrent climatic hazards," is emerging as a potentially transformative adaptation approach that offers opportunities for both risk reduction and advancement of social justice.