SDG 13: Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Canada is among the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. Laurier is embracing this complex challenge and working to be part of the solution. Through leading research and academic programs and operational practices, Laurier is demonstrating our strong commitment to SDG 13
See some of the work that Laurier completed in 2022 to advance SDG 13.
Researchers at Laurier were recently awarded $450,000 from the new Canada-Inuit Nunangat-United Kingdom (CINUK) Arctic Research Program to study the ecological impacts of shifting beaver populations and climate change in Canada’s Arctic tundra regions. The funding program pairs Canadian researchers from Ontario, Quebec and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region with scholars in the United Kingdom to investigate issues that are meaningful to Inuit Nunangat communities.
RBC Foundation announced a new partnership with Laurier to support new programming in the area of climate change management. RBC Foundation’s gift of $850,000 through its Future Launch program will support experiential learning, research and teaching with the goal of preparing students for critical emerging careers in climate change management.
Human migration is a polarizing topic, one that becomes more pressing every day as conflict and climate change displace millions of people around the world. In this Inspiring Conversation, Laurier Professors Robert McLeman and Edward Shizha explained how Canadians are impacted by, and can play a role in, international migration. McLeman, a coordinating lead author for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s working group on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation, addressed international migration in a changing climate. Shizha, whose research focuses on the settlement experiences of African immigrants in Canada, discussed how the skills of internationally trained professionals are being underutilized by our nation.
The impact of the climate crisis in Iceland is captured in the internationally renowned documentary The Changing Face of Iceland, written and produced by Laurier instructor Mark Terry. The 52-minute documentary details the rapid melt of Iceland’s glaciers, the rising temperature of surrounding sea waters and the impact of climate change on Icelanders.
Northern Canada is one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. As climate change affects northern ecosystems at an accelerated pace, Laurier researchers are working closely with local governments and Indigenous communities to tackle urgent challenges. In this Inspiring Conversation, three of Laurier’s leading researchers shared their work in the Northwest Territories. Jennifer Baltzer, the Canada Research Chair in Forests and Global Change, discussed how intensifying wildfires are impacting forest ecosystems. Homa Kheyrollah Pour, the Canada Research Chair in Remote Sensing of Environmental Change, shared how she’s using satellite observations and smart ground-based monitoring techniques to study the response of northern lakes to the changing climate. Finally, Associate Professor Miguel Sioui explained how he is bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge to advance Indigenous environmental stewardship.
Explore the work that Laurier research centres do to tackle climate change.
The Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems (LCSFS) connects researchers and community partners engaged in sustainable food systems change. It creates opportunities for citizens, practitioners, policy-makers, private enterprise and academics to work together to imagine and foster food systems that are fair, healthy, ecologically regenerative, culturally appropriate, prosperous and inclusive. Using food as a lever for positive change, LCSFS cuts across multiple projects to create local and global networks that help develop resilient food systems.
The Laurier Institute for Water Science is a multidisciplinary, collaborative undertaking among research faculty in the Faculty of Arts, the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and the Faculty of Science. The focus of the institute is on research in three interconnected water-related disciplines: hydrological sciences, ecology and biogeochemical sciences, and public policy and management.
The Cold Regions Research Centre is focused on cold regions research, consulting on topics such as hydrology, climatology, glaciology, resource management, parks planning and biogeochemistry.
The Viessmann Centre for Engagement and Research in Sustainability (VERiS) is an interdisciplinary and community-engaged research centre striving to be a catalyst and nexus for the transition toward strong cultures of sustainability. Cultures of sustainability are grounded in principles of environmental protection, social justice and well-being, and a supportive economy. A culture of sustainability may exist within an organization, a building with multiple organizations or a community.
Learn more about Laurier initiatives in 2022 that helped advance SDG 13.
Since 2010, Laurier has maintained a unique and productive research partnership with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). The partnership, which has been expanded and extended to 2030, has brought new research expertise and training opportunities to the Northwest Territories and strong community connections and research opportunities to Laurier scholars. Much of the work through Laurier's partnership with the GNWT addresses the SDGs. Close connections between academic researchers and governments enhance policy development related to the SDGs and improve the capacity of governments to engage in adaptive management.
Laurier offers many opportunities for students, staff, faculty and community members to get involved in creating a campus and community that are sustainably minded.
Laurier’s Sustainability Office prepared its Action Plan to correspond with the global vision set by the SDGs. Through teaching and research, Laurier will play a critical role in preparing the next generation of leaders who can contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by 2030. Universities also play a vital part in finding solutions to increasingly complex global problems and pioneering technological innovations through their own operations to set an example for others.