Research

On February 9, Health Canada announced the release of Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Actionwhich will help inform policy development focused on protecting Canadians from the effects of climate change. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the latest research on how climate-related hazards are affecting our health and wellbeing. This reports also documents the increasing risks and new information on Indigenous health impacts, mental health, health equity, and health system resilience. To find out more and continue the conversation, join IC3 on March 9 for an informative discussion with lead authors and a panel of Waterloo's climate change and health experts. 

As witnessed in recent weeks, rising seas, swollen atmospheric rivers and post-tropical storms are a threat to community infrastructure, housing and the safety of those living along Canada’s east and west coasts. In response, new guidance from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo, presents practical solutions to limit the financial and social costs of these evolving risks.

Waterloo researchers contribute to new science led by Nature United, which concluded that by protecting, better managing, and restoring nature, Canada can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The new study, Natural Climate Solutions for Canada, published in Science Advancesshows that Natural Climate Solutions can help Canada mitigate up to 78 Mt CO₂e annually in 2030—an amount equal to the current greenhouse gas emissions from powering every single home in Canada for about three years.

A team of Waterloo researchers led by Geography and Environmental Management Professor and IC3 member, Merrin Macrae, are proposing a five‐step plan to provide guidance and bring regionally‐tailored, adaptive and cost‐conscious conservation practices into watershed planning.

Waterloo’s Juan Moreno-Cruz is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine(NASEM) committee who developed the report on Solar Geoengineering (SG): “Reflecting Sunlight: Recommendations for Solar Geoengineering Research and Research Governance”

A new study led by Emma Davis, a University of Waterloo postdoctoral fellow, examines how climate change is accelerating shrub growth across many northern regions, which has important consequences for people and wildlife there. 

The University of Waterloo's applied research centre and IC3's sub-centre, the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation (Intact Centre), released a new report "Practical Approaches for Reducing Flood Risks in Canada". 

Angela Carter is an IC3 member and an Associate Professor in the department of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. Her new book reveals a country out of step with the transition unfolding in response to the climate crisis.

As the world's experts race to find ways to combat climate change, new findings from IC3 member, Juan Moreno-Cruz,reveal that an experimental process to redirect the sun's energy could mitigate both climate change and global income inequality.

As the longest United Nations climate talks on record end with a compromise in Madrid, new research from the University of Waterloo has found that higher emission reduction pledges consistent with the Paris Climate Agreement are needed to preserve ski tourism in Eastern Canada and the U.S.