News

Most people try to understand ‘happiness’ from a purely philosophical perspective since it is believed that scientific exactitude has little to do with this construct. While the art of happiness (or the route to happiness) has a rich tradition in Eastern and Western literature, the scientific aspect of it (or the root of happiness) has often been neglected. Besides, the positive emotion of happiness is a far less emphasized area of research, in comparison to research on negative emotions like anxiety or depression.  

Given this backdrop, the present talk will address issues like: (a) challenges in understanding happiness as a construct, (b) observed evidence in scientific domain, and (c) establishing happiness as a transdisciplinary field of study.

Date: Thursday, June 08, 2023 

Time: 
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Main event (Talk)
12:30 pm -   2:00 pm: Lunch

Location:
Alumni Hall (201), United College, University of Waterloo, 190 Westmount Rd N, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G5

Speaker: Prof. Manas Kumar Mandal | Cognitive neuropsychologist serving as a distinguished professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Chair: Prof. Bruce Frayne | Dean, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo

Free Registration. Seats are limited. Please register here 

Dr. Neil Craik, law professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development and Waterloo Climate Interventions Strategies Lab member, is part of a growing area of research critically assessing the impacts and governance challenges of large-scale climate interventions in the world’s oceans. Recently, he was part of a team of experts assembled by the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative that were tasked with assessing and recommending paths on how to tackle this emerging challenge. Their new paper, Deep-sea impacts of climate interventions, which appears in the journal Science, explores the environmental risks of climate interventions, the current ocean governance challenges and what needs to be done to address them.

Originally posted on Waterloo News

New research finds that Canada’s electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) has more than tripled in the last two decades, the equivalent of filling the CN tower 110 times and generating close to a million tons in 2020 alone. 

The University of Waterloo researchers completed the first comprehensive estimate of e-waste in Canada to understand its lifecycle, from sales of electronic items to e-waste generation. Their findings reveal that the e-waste generation per person has increased from 8.3 kg in 2000 to 25.3 kg in 2020. The e-waste in Canada is expected to continue rising in the near future and underscores the need for proactive forecasts to better manage the evolving electronics sector.

“This study provides useful insights to policymakers for setting up targets for e-waste reduction and recycling to recover valuable resources from e-waste,” said Komal Habib, professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development and Waterloo Industrial Ecology Group. “E-waste could also help to create a secondary supply chain of critical materials, reducing the risks of potential supply disruptions.”

The estimated growth of e-waste is attributed to consumer habits and Canada’s growing population. As the number of households increases, so does consumption. The study found that large household appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines, dominate the e-waste stream considering mass. However, the less bulky items dominate in quantity; household lighting is the top item, followed by toys and sports equipment, and information technology (IT) and telecommunications equipment, such as cellphones and laptops.

There are pros and cons of the expected increase in e-waste for the recycling industry. When it comes to IT and telecommunication equipment, the industry’s efforts to make lightweight products are leading to the dilution of precious and critical materials per product, creating a challenge for recyclers to recover. However, increasing quantities of this e-waste could lead to potential incentives for the continuous operation of the recycling industries.

“The findings will be beneficial for stakeholders to explore possible material and revenue generation opportunities from e-waste,” said Habib. “For example, it can help electronic manufacturers and recyclers to understand the potential for urban mining, plan for future extractions of critical materials, and identify the need for safe handling of any hazardous materials.”

The study also indicates that more attention should be given to improving repair, refurbishment, and product life extension opportunities rather than focusing solely on recycling and material recovery. In the future, the researchers indicated that assessing consumer behaviour data to create a more accurate and complete picture of e-waste management in Canada is necessary to better inform sustainable management practices.

The study, A first comprehensive estimate of electronic waste in Canada, appears in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

“Look beyond the beauty of our coastal wetlands, and you’ll find this habitat is hard at work,” starts the short video by Navya Vikraman Nair, PhD candidate in Sustainability Management (Water). Her work has been selected as one of this year’s top 25 Storytelling Challenge finalists; a national competition run by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The annual contest, now in its 10^th edition, challenges postsecondary students from across the country to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how social sciences and humanities research is affecting our lives, our world and our future for the better. Navya submitted a video about her current research on linkages among water quality, blue carbon ecosystems and coastal fisheries.

"I am beyond thrilled and honored to be selected as a finalist among the Top 25 in 2023 SSHRC Storytellers challenge” she said. “It's an honour to have the opportunity to share my research and its importance with a wider audience, and I am grateful for the chance to inspire others to take action towards a more sustainable future."

The top 25 storytellers were selected from a pool of nearly 200 applicants and represent 14 postsecondary institutions. Each finalist is awarded a cash prize and will compete for a top five spot in this year’s showcase.

Finalists will present their story at the Storytellers Showcase at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences on Monday, May 29, 2023, at 9 a.m. E.T.at York University. The final five winners will be chosen from among the 25 finalists and will be revealed at a Big Thinking event the same day.  

Updated March 28, 2023 - Application deadline extended to June 1^st for MEDI program. Please contact meb-mdp-medi.graduateinquiries@uwaterloo.ca prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.

Title of the Webinar: The Legal Instruments for the Development of Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries Governance in Nigeria

This talk provides an overview of the major challenges in the sustainability of small-scale fisheries governance in Nigeria. It addresses the gaps in the administration of the legal instruments in the sector and discusses any possible obstacles in the socio-economic development of small-scale fisheries within the legal structure of Nigeria, international laws/treaties that are yet to be domiciled and could facilitate the transition from vulnerability to viability, the functionality of domestic laws being implemented, any awareness deficit on the legal framework amongst operators and enforcers and ways to improve or actualize it.

Date: Mar 31, 2023 (Friday)

Time: 8:00 AM EDT to 9:15 AM EDT (Waterloo time)

Speaker: Foluke Omotayo Areola | The President-Elect of the African Chapter in the World Aquaculture Society, Nigeria

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfw4wG_XH2Y(watch this webinar live and participate in its Q&A session)

📍 Click HERE or see the attached poster for more details about this webinar.

📆 Click HEREto add this event to your calendar.

The combined efforts of supervisors, post-doctoral fellows and research students, have produced the following publications:

Sabine Weber, Olaf Weber, Komal Habib, & Goretty Dias. (2023). Textile waste in Ontario, Canada: Opportunities for reuse and recycling. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 190, 106835. 

Rosella Carè, & Olaf Weber. (2023). How much finance is in climate finance? A bibliometric review, critiques, and future research directions. Research in International Business and Finance, 64, 101886. 

Francisco Martin del Campo; Simron Singh; Tomer Fishman; Michael Drescher;  Can a small island nation build resilience? The significance of resource‐use patterns and socio‐metabolic risks in The Bahamas.  January 2023, Journal of Industrial Ecology  DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13369

Adam Payler; Anthony Piscitelli; Sean Geobey  Navigating the space between politics and administration: The informal practices of Ontario school board trustees; February 2023, Canadian Public Administration; DOI: 10.1111/capa.12513

Larry Swatuk; Corrine Cash, Toward Just and Effective Climate Action.  October 2022, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12619-2_10; In book: "The Political Economy of Climate Finance: Lessons from International Development"

Corrine Cash; Larry Swatuk;  Climate Finance: Lessons from Development Finance; October 2022, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-12619-2_1; In book: "The Political Economy of Climate Finance: Lessons from International Development"

Anne-France Bolay; Anders Bjørn; Olaf Weber; Manuele Margni;  Prospective sectoral GHG benchmarks based on corporate climate mitigation targets; September 2022, Journal of Cleaner Production 376:134220, DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134220

Sadaf Mollaei; Leia M. Minaker; Derek T. Robinson; Goretty M. Dias;  Including sustainability factors in the derivation of eater profiles of young adults in Canada; October 2022, British Food Journal; DOI: 10.1108/BFJ-06-2022-0476

Chris Gouett-Hanna; Greg Oulahen; Daniel Henstra; Jason Thistlethwaite; Flood risk assessment data access and equity in Metro Vancouver; September 2022, Canadian Water Resources Journal 47(1):1-14, DOI:  10.1080/07011784.2022.2122083

Four members of the Waterloo Industrial Ecology Group (WIEG) returned in good cheer from the International Roundtable on Raw Material Criticality (IRTC) Conference 2023, “Raw Materials for a Sustainable Future”, held 15-17 February 2023 in Lille, France. This was the first in-person scholarly conference for SUSM Masters student Jamie Faubert and for SUSM PhD student Ankesh Siddhantakar – and the first since the pandemic for Professors Komal Habib and Steven Young. About 200 academic government and industry participants attended from all over the world to discuss the assessment, development and markets for critical raw materials.

Jamie’s oral presentation titled “Nickel supply: primary metallurgical processing capacity does not satisfy changing demand” was well received, including questions and comments from industry and researchers. As a result, he was invited to submit a version of his paper for consideration in a special issue of the journal Mineral Economics. 

Ankesh’s poster won “best poster award”, which includes paid registration to attend the next IRTC conference in Turin, Italy in 2024. His poster titled “Helium resource sourcing and trade: Critical coproduct, cryogenic complexities” was based on research done under his supervisor Professor Steven Young and with colleagues at the University of Bordeaux and the University of Augsburg. The poster is part of a larger project for Ankesh’s PhD on the sustainability and environmental impacts of helium, an element and raw material that has not been well studied and is critical for modern technology including semiconductor manufacturing and magnetic resonance machines (MRI) used in medical imaging.

A copy of the winning poster is published on the IRTC LinkedIn page.

The first paper presenting Ankesh’s helium research has accepted for publication in a special issue of the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling.

More research projects and people profiles are provided for the Waterloo Industrial Ecology Group (WIEG).

More information on the Sustainability Management programs is available for the SUSM Masters and the SUSM PhD.

Canadians trash about a billion pounds—nearly 500 million kilograms—of fashion and home items made of fabric each year, but a new grading system could help divert most of it from landfills.    

In the first study of its kind to determine the quantity and quality of textile waste in Canada, researchers from the University of Waterloo and Seneca College developed the new method to evaluate an item’s quality from A to F and whether it can be resold, recycled or tossed. In testing this method, they found that more than half of textile waste in Canada could be reused and almost a quarter could be recycled. 

“Fashion consumption is at an unparalleled high,” said Olaf Weber, University Research Chair and professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development at Waterloo. “Consumers buy, use and dispose of new garments, which end up in the landfill, and less than one per cent of the materials are recycled. This new method is an important step to curbing our waste.”   

Canada doesn’t have a standardized process for sorting textiles. The researchers used a broader definition of textile waste by recognizing accessories, shoes and soft toys, in addition to clothing and home textiles. They also used a team of Waterloo and Seneca students and professionals from the fashion industry to sort the materials to ensure consistency in grading and proper evaluation of the item’s condition. A pair of ripped and stained jeans might receive a D grade and be flagged for repair before being donated and resold.

Overall, this new comprehensive assessment delivers more data and insights into waste management and prevention. The study determined that items graded A to D made up more than half of our current waste stream, so could be resold or reused. This finding emphasizes that there are many opportunities to divert textile waste in Canada, yielding massive benefits.  

“Reducing our waste is a crucial step to addressing climate change,” said Weber, co-author of the paper. “Avoiding the textile waste assessed in our study could conserve resources and divert a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions — in just one year the equivalent of driving 310,000 cars, plus supplying energy to 218,000 Canadian homes and filling 35,000 Olympic pools of water.” 

Textile recycling in Canada is still in its infancy and so more investigation into its feasibility in some communities is necessary.  

“The tremendous benefits for the economy and environment make pursuing the method worth the effort,” said Weber.  

The study,  Textile waste in Ontario, Canada: Opportunities for reuse and recycling, appears in the Journal of Resources, Conservation and Recycling.