News

From February 2 to 5, 2026, the Climate Institute convened nearly 300 participants for a national virtual forum, Designing Climate-Ready Education for the Next Generation of Professionals. This was the second national forum under the Accelerating Climate Education for the Next Generation of Professionals (ACE) project. 

A new technical brief from the Waterloo Climate Institute is helping Canadian municipalities tackle extreme heat by showing how natural infrastructure can protect public health, reduce climate risks, and boost economic productivity.

N-ZAP has released a new Climate Budgeting Guide designed to support Canadian municipalities and local governments in incorporating climate commitments into decision-making and budget allocation. The new guide makes it easier to use climate budgeting to put climate plans into action.

Amy Hall, a Masters of Climate Change Student interested in nature-based solutions for climate change problems reflects on her experience attending COP 28 virtually. She explores themes of biodiversity and regenerative agriculture as key efforts needed to progress on global climate action goals.

Jose DiBella, Adjunct Assistant Professor in Geography and Environmental Management and Waterloo Climate Institute delegate attended COP28 in Dubai in-person and shares his reflections regarding the success of the proceedings. A sprawling venue and over-subscribed pass system presented barriers for delegates to collaborate, however, Jose DiBella shares that COP28 remains a key element in a transition to low-carbon future 

The first Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake report has been released by the Tourism Panel on Climate Change (TPCC) timed with the UN COP-28 Climate Conference. Its 24 key findings aim to support policymakers and the tourism industry in accelerating planning and investment toward low-carbon and climate-resilient global tourism.

University of Waterloo climate change and sustainable tourism expert Professor Daniel Scott was the co-lead, along with Professor Susanne Becken of Griffith University in Australia. The TPCC is a network of over 60 leading international tourism and climate experts from over 30 countries.

Shahan Salim, a PhD a PhD candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences and a member of the Waterloo Climate Institute’s COP 28 delegation, has designed a platform to use data from low-cost air quality sensors to monitor and predict adverse outcomes related to air pollution exposure in low-income countries.

National Pan-Canadian Expert Collaboration on climate change and clean energy development has just been announced!

Waterloo’s Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation and the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change are partners in the collaboration and will work closely with the institute to achieve its objectives. IC3 member and head of the Intact Centre, Blair Feltmate, will be a member of the new institute's Adaptation Expert Panel.

Burnout and Despair: Studying the Climate

IC3 Member, Jason Thistlethwaite, joins fellow climate scientists on The Agenda with Steve Paikin to discuss the psychological impacts of studying climate change. Jason shares his expert opinion on the emotional toll of climate change research, the solutions to mitigate climate anxiety, and how to cope and feel empowered to take action.

In December 2018, IC3 and the Univeristy of Waterloo sent six students to the 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties (“COP24”) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COP24 was held in Katowice, Poland, bringing togeher international leaders to discuss climate change and the next steps in implementing the Paris Agreement.