Climate Change and the Environment

With the increasing frequency of extreme weather occurrences, the continuing loss of ecosystem biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions still on the rise, research focused on countering environmental threats is more important than ever. Environmental scientists at Waterloo are developing innovative tools for environmental remediation and predicting the environmental exposure of emerging contaminants.

• How are organisms adapting to the harsh conditions at contaminated sites?
• How and when did the ability to degrade a man-made product evolve?
• In what ways are microbial communities more than the sum of their parts, and do these interactions drive global cycles?