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Over the past year, the Waterloo Climate Institute has collaborated closely with Southwestern Public Health (SWPH), which serves the regions of Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas, to identify critical climate-related health risks in the region. Using the latest climate change projections and focusing on the most vulnerable populations, the resulting report lays out recommendations to enhance preparedness and resilience in tackling these challenges in the region. 

PRESS RELEASE - originally posted by Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Municipalities are responsible for over half of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, making them crucial players in the fight against climate change. But existing gaps in critical climate planning and reporting data can make it challenging to keep the public informed on progress toward net zero by 2050.

The University of Waterloo released the "Global Futures: Innovation Update", featuring Waterloo Climate Institute members, Amelia Clarke and Christopher G. Fletcher from the Faculty of Environment, and Dillon Browne from the Faculty of Arts. The publication entitled "The futures we imagine for humanity and our planet" shares insights into new and innovative research across disciplines.

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 

Friday, December 15, 2023

One Ocean with Many Voices

Kirsten Müller, Professor in Biology and Waterloo Climate Institute delegate who attended COP28 in Dubai, reflects on the lack of discussion of nature at the proceedings. December 9th was the thematic day at COP28 for Nature, Land Use and Ocean. Many of the conversations and capacity building in the side events, pavilions and final plenary were focused on nature-based solutions for climate change, conservation, preservation and recovery of biodiversity in critical marine and terrestrial habitats. The conversations ranged from, the need to engage with indigenous communities in small island states, to establishing marine protected areas (and how to finance these), to technologies to track and retrieve fishing gear that contribute to microplastics, and the need for sustainable fishing and shipping practices.

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.

Waterloo Climate Institute member and University of Waterloo professor Dr. Amelia Clarke, launched a first-of-its-kind project helping Canadian cities transition to net zero. She envisioned a collaborative approach to tackling climate change. When the federal government announced its Climate Action and Awareness Fund, she asked the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ICLEI Canada and other academics across Canada if they’d like to co-design a partnership together. They were successful in their bid and were able to secure $4 million for the project.

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.