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
Climate Change Mitigation with Direct Air Capture
A new technical brief from the Waterloo Climate Institute explores Direct Air Capture (DAC) as an innovative engineering approach to directly removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. Contributing to the overall reduction of atmospheric CO2 levels, DAC has the potential to effectively mitigate climate change, when used in combination with permanent storage solutions. Authors Monica Ho, Vahid Barahimi and Climate Institute member Eric Croiset outline the current readiness of DAC technologies and acknowledge their limitations the latest brief.
Restoring oil wells back to nature with moss
In what could represent a milestone in ecological restoration, researchers have implemented a method capable of restoring peatlands at tens of thousands of oil and gas exploration sites in Western Canada. Researchers from the University of Waterloo led the project that involves lowering the surface of these decommissioned sites, known as well pads, and transplanting native moss onto them to effectively recreate peatlands.
Cutting Methane Emissions with High-Impact Measurements
Researchers at the University of Waterloo are using cutting-edge Canadian technology to detect and reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The interdisciplinary team combines infrared imaging, soil microbiology, and advanced algorithms to measure emissions from landfills and oil sites. Their work supports Canada’s net-zero goals by improving methane detection accuracy, guiding mitigation strategies, and protecting communities from climate change impacts through innovative, science-driven solutions.