The University of Waterloo Climate Institute brings together the research community and partners to advance strategic research and capacity building priorities at the local, national, and international scales. Our work empowers business, government and civil society to respond effectively to the climate crisis.
Based at the University of Waterloo, the Climate Institute harnesses a unique combination of strengths and depth of expertise to enhance the impact and excellence of innovative interdisciplinary research and education, and to deal head-on with the complexity and interconnectedness of social, political and technological dimensions of climate change.
Our key focus areas:
RESEARCH
Strategic research development and management across priority research areas (deep decarbonization and sustainability transitions, climate risks, resilience and adaptation; and climate science, modelling and observation).
TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING
Supporting climate action through targeted professional development opportunities and the integration of climate education in academic programs.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Informing decision makers in policy, practice and innovation through tailored reports, briefs, facilitated workshops, data visualization, media engagement, and partnerships.
Learn more about the work at the Waterloo Climate Institute:
Municipal Climate Adaptation Certificate
Discover the Waterloo Climate Institute's new professional development opportunity, the Municipal Climate Adaptation Certificate. This forward-thinking initiative is funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and is designed specifically for municipal staff who are looking to strengthen their climate resilience skills.
News
Firebird forecasts and models wildfire spread
As wildfires grow more frequent and severe across Canada, University of Waterloo researchers and students are stepping up with innovative, data-driven solutions.
Merging theatre and environmentalism earns student top academic honour
Environment and Arts student, Eloise Fan, reflects on how studying her twin passions led not only to a BES, but also to academic distinction. For Eloise Fan, studying at the University of Waterloo was never about choosing a single path — it was about creating one that merged her passions for theatre and climate change.
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.