News

Waterloo launches a new initiative to accelerate a sustainable future for the benefit of the environment, the economy, and society. Bringing together the Waterloo Climate Institute, the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Water Institute, the Sustainable Futures initiative will accelerate holistic approaches to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on the interconnections between energy, climate and water.

The Waterloo Climate Institute has ratified a new strategic plan that will chart our course for the next five years. With this new direction, we are pleased to introduce a new logo that reflects the growth of the institute and communicates our collective strengths and purpose.

Fraser King is studying what deep learning algorithms can teach us about snow, especially annual snowfall and snowmelt in the context of climate change. In his latest study, which he undertook with a team of researchers that included Christopher Fletcher, his PhD supervisor and Waterloo Climate Institute member, he put forward his new weather modelling program under the name DeepPrecip.

Waterloo Climate Institute member, Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, has been elected a Fellow by the Royal Society of Canada for her outstanding scholarly contributions — one of Canada's highest academic honours. Congratulations! 

She is one of six University of Waterloo researchers to be honoured. In total, these five new Fellows and one new College Member are among 156 other Canadian researchers elected by their peers for outstanding scholarly, scientific, and artistic achievement announced today by the RSC.

From November 6 to 18, 2022 the world will gather in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 27^th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition. On behalf of the University of Waterloo community, the Waterloo Climate Institute will lead a delegation to COP27 to engage with governments and non-government observers from around the world. Delegation applications are now open and two graduate students and one Climate Institute member will be selected to participate.

This summer’s fires, floods and heat waves have reinforced what we already know — the effects of climate change are happening now and the need for action is urgent. But what steps should be taken to mitigate and adapt are often not well understood. This is where the interactive game Illuminate can fill this knowledge gap. Rethinking how youth learn about climate change, the game is aimed at helping students in grades 4 to 12 understand the science, the risks and (most importantly) the solutions to climate change.

Daniel Henstra, Waterloo Climate Institute member, professor in the Department of Political Science and the co-lead of Waterloo’s Climate Risk Research Group will give a keynote address at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference on August 14 to 17. He will speak about building resilience for a future of climate change.

A new study by University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment researchers, Rachael Edwards and her supervisor, Waterloo Climate Institute member Brendon Larson, found there is an increased opportunity for inclusivity in recreation planning for Protected Areas. 

We are pleased to announce that after a year-long consultation process, the Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change (IC3) has ratified a new strategic plan that will chart our course for the next five years. As part of this new direction, the centre has been renamed the Waterloo Climate Institute.

A new report by University of Waterloo researchers, Truzaar Dordi and IC3 member Olaf Weber, found that the top 10 most influential actors, including investment advisors, governments, and sovereign wealth funds from around the world, own 49.5 per cent of potential emissions from the world's largest energy firms. Their work outlines the decisive role they can play in helping de-carbonize our future. Read the full story on Waterloo News and check out the article in the Journal Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions.