Thursday, May 20, 2021

University declares a climate emergency

A message from the University of Waterloo.

The University of Waterloo joins communities and other post-secondary institutions around the world in declaring a Climate Emergency.

With this declaration, we recognize: 

• That the impacts of climate change are already being felt both in Canada and around the world and will continue to intensify, posing acute and lasting risks for communities, business, and natural ecosystems. These risks include, but are not limited to, damages from extreme weather, threats to human health and wellbeing, economic disruption, food and water insecurity, and social instability. These risks also include threats to all other life on earth, and to the richness and complexity of global biodiversity.
• That the University’s own stakeholders, including its students, employees, partners, alumni, and neighboring communities are and will continue to be among those who experience these impacts.
• That the climate crisis compounds existing social and economic inequities, creating additional hardships for already marginalized groups including Indigenous people, racialized people, low-income communities or those living in poverty, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
• That human activity is understood to be the main cause of recent experienced climate change and dominant driver of future climate change, and urgent global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is needed to avoid worsening impacts.
• That efforts across many levels of government and industry have yet to reach the scale and speed necessary to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement to limit global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius, much less the 1.5 degrees Celsius target that would, according to the best available science, ensure a climate-safe future.
• That there are tremendous opportunities for transformation to a future defined by equitable, inclusive, resilient, and prosperous global societies supported by low-carbon, clean, and circular economies. 
• That, as a public institution with a robust academic reputation for research and teaching on climate change and energy, the University of Waterloo has a crucial role to play in climate action. 
• That meaningful climate action must build on the support of the community and on respect of Indigenous Peoples’ human rights. 
• That our students, faculty and staff have demonstrated strong support for climate justice and have called on the University to act accordingly.

In declaring a climate emergency, the University of Waterloo acknowledges the urgency of the climate crisis and strengthens its commitment to taking bold climate action.

As a hub of expertise, change leaders, educators of the future, and conveners of multi-stakeholder action and collaboration, our climate action is centred on four key pillars:

1. Innovating in discovery and applied research that leads to better understanding of and breakthrough solutions to address climate change.
2. Empowering learners to succeed in careers which will be impacted by climate change and transformations to address it, and to actively contribute to those transformations.
3. Aligning institutional practice and policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including in operation of the campus and in the University’s investments.
4. Engaging all levels of society to drive broader transformations of climate action and resilience.

Reflecting on this understanding of the University’s role, the following are our key commitments to advance climate action and meet this pressing global challenge:

1. We will mobilize and enable researchers to support and influence meaningful transformations to mitigate and adapt to climate change, in areas including but not limited to low carbon and net-negative technologies, policy and governance, accelerating just transitions, climate change impacts and adaptation options in both natural and human systems, and climate modelling, projections, and scenarios.
2. We will continue to participate and lead in meaningful partnerships to mobilize expertise around climate change and sustainability challenges, including as host of  Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada, and as a founding member of the University Global Coalition.
3. We will continue to strengthen integration of sustainability and climate in our teaching and curriculum. Our Faculty of Environment is the largest and most programmatically diverse such faculty/school in Canada, and we also offer many degree programs related to sustainability and climate change across a number of our faculties. We will leverage this expertise and leadership to explore new opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
4. We reinforce our goal to reach carbon neutrality in University operations by 2050, as outlined in Shift: Neutral, the University’s roadmap to carbon neutrality, and to reach interim targets by 2025 and 2030. 
5. We will continue to explore ways to align investments with climate risks and opportunities, building off our existing commitments to integrate ESG considerations and our commitment to the Investing to Address Climate Change Charter, including through the ongoing work of the Responsible Investment Advisory Group which will be brought forward to the Board of Governors in June 2021.
6. We will enhance our programming to engage employees and students as agents of change, including through the Green Office and Green Residence programs, and launching a new Green Labs program.
7. We will leverage our leadership and reputation to spur broader change within our local communities and globally, from becoming a Pledging Partner with the local Regional Sustainability Initiative and encouraging global leadership through our partnerships and networks.
8. We will make sustainability and climate action a strategic lens through which we view and evaluate all University decisions, such as through implementing the goals set out in our Strategic Plan. 
9. We will approach our climate action efforts alongside considerations of equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenization, and will listen to and be informed by Indigenous traditional knowledge.
10. We will report on our progress on these commitments annually, and engage our university community for input through town halls, open houses and other community forums.

This approach will evolve over time. We know that it will not be an easy journey, and we don’t have all the answers for how we will achieve a resilient, inclusive, and low carbon future.

But it is urgent we take action, individually and collectively, to leverage Waterloo’s strengths and spirit of innovation to address the climate crisis.

For more information visit the Climate Emergency Declaration website.

Celebrating Sharon Lamont as she prepares for retirement

A message from the Library.

Sharon Lamont is retiring. How do we imagine a University of Waterloo campus without Sharon? Sharon has been a presence, no, a force on this campus since starting her undergraduate degree here in the mid 1970s. She began working in the Library part time during her studies and has worked at the Library ever since, now retiring as Director, Organizational Services.

For anyone who knows Sharon, you’ll likely agree she is determined, enthusiastic, generous, and kind – and that she has brought this energy to not only her roles in the Library, but to her volunteer service as well. An active volunteer leader with the Staff Association and with the United Way campaign, and a donor to multiple areas across campus, Sharon has demonstrated time and again her passion for the University and her commitment to service and goodwill to those around her. University Librarian Beth Namachchivaya says “Sharon has continually impressed me with her deep compassion for her family, friends, and colleagues. She is always eager to lend a hand to anyone in need and I can see the ripple effect of her caring nature in the people she works with. Her keen ability to translate compassionate behaviour into practice has had an enduring positive impact on the Library and its programs.”

In keeping with Sharon’s nature and true to her values, she and her husband Stuart have established an award to support students. Recognizing that students can often use a helping hand in making ends meet while completing their studies, the Sharon Lamont Student Award will recognize students who work in the Library and have demonstrated a commitment to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The resounding feeling you get talking to anyone about Sharon is one of a person who is unfailingly supportive. Many people reflecting on their time working with Sharon talk about how she always had an encouraging word or helped inspire them to keep going. One longtime colleague shared “It would be difficult to overstate what a positive impact she has had on the working environment in the Library. I have worked with Sharon throughout her entire career at the Library and her supportive leadership has consistently been an inspiring example for me and for others.” Friends and coworkers alike comment on her warmth, laughter, and welcoming demeanor – all qualities that will be truly missed when Sharon retires at the end of May.

If you would like to share memories or a message with Sharon, you can do so by signing her card here. Please join the library team in sending Sharon very best wishes for her retirement, and sincere thanks for her generosity of spirit that will carry on inspiring all of us.

Should I stay or should I go? How international students decide

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

While some international students come to Canada knowing whether they intend to stay or return home after completing their degrees, the majority decide after they have had a chance to live here for a few years, a new study has found.

“Nearly a quarter of our participants made the decision prior to arriving in Canada,” said Elena Neiterman, a lecturer in the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo. “However, the majority were not certain what their plans for the future were until they had a chance to live here and explore life in Canada.”

The students identified several factors shaping their decision to stay or go, including family ties in Canada or abroad, employment opportunities here compared to their home country, the perceived complexity of the immigration system and feelings of isolation or experiences of racism.

The researchers also found that the way students conceived of the word “staying” varied considerably. While two-thirds of the study participants said they hoped to stay, 17 per cent of them saw it as permanently settling in Canada. More than 33 per cent planned to stay for a few years, then move back home. The others were not sure what the future will hold.

For more than half the participants, staying in Canada included a plan to apply for permanent residency following graduation. Students said that permanent residency would allow them the flexibility to keep more options open and give them access to increased job opportunities.

The researchers interviewed 60 international students from two universities, aiming for diversity in graduate versus undergraduate status, male versus female or non-binary, with 20 students each studying in three fields: social sciences and humanities, health sciences, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

“Only 10 students had a strong initial desire to stay in Canada that remained unchanged while they studied, and for them, an international education was a means to immigration,” Neiterman said. “For the others, the decision-making process regarding migration was complex and changed over time.”

Participants were all in their last year of study and represented 23 different countries, with 30 per cent coming from China.

International students comprised 16.5 per cent of the total number of students enrolled in Canadian schools in 2018. In 2017, they contributed $15 billion to the Canadian economy, according to Global Affairs Canada.

The study, “Should I Stay or Should I Go: International Students’ Decision-making About Staying in Canada” was co-authored by Waterloo’s Neiterman, Lauren Harrison and Angela Freeman; the University of Alberta’s Grace Shoyele and Christine Covell; and the University of Western Ontario’s Victoria Esses. It was published in the Journal of International Migration and Integration.