What we heard: Universities Canada’s regional climate workshop series

Canada’s universities have long been leaders in sustainability and are committed to helping the country achieve its climate targets. Researchers within our institutions are developing new technologies and innovative approaches to mitigate climate change and help communities across the country adapt to the impacts of a changing climate and an increase in extreme weather events. To better support our member institutions’ climate work, Universities Canada launched its Canada’s universities: Action for net zero initiative in 2023. This initiative measures and tracks members’ climate impacts, shares best practices, facilitates collaboration and advocates for needed supports.

In 2023–24, Universities Canada organized a series of regional climate workshops to better understand its members’ climate work, identify common challenges and opportunities and to solicit strategic advice and insights from climate leaders across the country on how Universities Canada can best support their efforts. The workshops covered topics including measuring and reporting climate impact, green infrastructure needs, climate research and preparing students with green skills.

This report offers an overview of what we heard over the course of the workshop series and sets the stage for the association’s next steps to help Canada’s universities mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Download the full report.