Environment + Energy – Views & Research

Autonomous AI systems can help tackle global food insecurity

Woo Soo Kim, Simon Fraser University

Thick columns of vapour pour from the openings of two nuclear power plant cooling towers, which are seen behind power lines

AI is consuming more power than the grid can handle — nuclear might be the answer

Goran Calic, McMaster University

A group of people gathered in front of a fountain and a large sign reading Hamilton

Indigenous engagement is essential for small modular nuclear reactor projects

Rhea Desai, McMaster University and James LeMoine, McMaster University

AI applications are producing cleaner cities, smarter homes and more efficient transit

Mohammadamin Ahmadfard, Toronto Metropolitan University

Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action?

Deborah de Lange, Toronto Metropolitan University

A man with short grey hair stands under lights and behind a podium with Canadian flags behind him.

‘Canada is not for sale’ — but new Ontario law prioritizes profits over environmental and Indigenous rights

Martina Jakubchik-Paloheimo, York University, Canada

A man has his eyes closed and is putting on a toque that says 'Canada is not for sale.'

Plastics threaten ecosystems and human health, but evidence-based solutions are under political fire

Tony Robert Walker, Dalhousie University and Miriam L Diamond, University of Toronto

Close up of someone's mouth drinking through a plastic strawn

‘Making decisions closer to the wharf’ can ensure the sustainability of Canada’s fisheries and oceans

Matthew Robertson, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Megan Bailey, Dalhousie University, and Tyler Eddy, Memorial University of Newfoundland

People in protection suits working on grassy area

Colonisation cleared 95% of these woodlands – Indigenous cultural burning is bringing it back

Elle Bowd, Australian National University; Braithan Bell-Garner, Indigenous Knowledge; David Lindenmayer, Australian National University; Dean Freeman, Indigenous Knowledge, and Geoff Cary, Australian National University

A salmon jumping out of the water near a dam

Habitat loss and over-exploitation are leading to a decline in salmon populations

Kyleisha Foote, Memorial University of Newfoundland; James W.A. Grant, Concordia University, and Pascale Biron, Concordia University

Flags on poles in front of a snowy mountain peak

The world needs bold, equitable climate action at the 2025 G7 summit

Sharon E. Straus, University of Toronto and Françoise Baylis, Dalhousie University

A man gives a speech, people behind him carry placards featuring a mushroom cloud with the word no written in French

France’s final nuclear tests in the South Pacific, 30 years on

Roxanne Panchasi, Simon Fraser University

Wildfire smoke can harm your brain, not just your lungs

Bhavini Gohel, University of Calgary and Muskaan Muse Laroyia, University of Calgary

dark smoke fills an orange sky above a line of trees

Canada must take action to prevent climate-related migration

Christopher Campbell-Duruflé, Toronto Metropolitan University

A aerial photo of a wildfire in a forested area

A man with short grey hair speaks; other men and a woman sit beside him at a long table with provincial/territorial flags behind them

Why the federal government must act cautiously on fast-tracking project approvals

Mark Winfield, York University, Canada

We design cities and buildings for earthquakes and floods — we need to do the same for wildfires

Ramla Karim Qureshi, McMaster University

teenaged girls at protest hold placards reading system change not climate change and planet over profit

Kids care deeply about our planet, so adults need to start listening

Jen Kostuchuk, University of Victoria; Erik Steiner, York University, Canada, and Sean Lyons, University of Guelph

Can kelp forests help tackle climate change?

Jennifer McHenry, University of Victoria and Julia K. Baum, University of Victoria

A First Nations power authority could transform electricity generation for Indigenous nations

Christina E. Hoicka, University of Victoria; Adam J. Regier, University of Victoria; Anna Berka, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University, and Sara Chitsaz, University of Victoria

Solar panels in the foreground, blurred vehicles seen in the distance

One green sea turtle can contain the equivalent of 10 ping pong balls in plastic

Xia (Alice) Zhu, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Chelsea Rochman, University of Toronto, and Matthew Mazloff, University of California, San Diego

a green sea turtle looks out over the ocean

How seaweed is a powerful, yet surprising, climate solution

Mike Allen, University of Exeter

MIke Allen with Anna Turns on Devon beach

A woman and a man browse fresh produce at a supermarket

Crop diversification is crucial to Canadian resilience in a changing world

Karen K. Christensen-Dalsgaard, MacEwan University

How outdoor sports can support youth as they navigate climate change

Brett Tomlinson, Nipissing University

Growing up on a farm can prevent asthma and allergies

Catherine Girard, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC); Paul George, Université Laval, and Rébecca Gagnon, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)

Alberta has long accused Ottawa of trying to destroy its oil industry. Here’s why that’s a dangerous myth

Ian Urquhart, University of Alberta

An aerial view shows two oilsands facilities in an expansive landscape.

Improving Arctic food security through DNA science and respectful collaboration with Indigenous Peoples

Shivangi Mishra, University of Calgary and Srijak Bhatnagar, Athabasca University

Indigenous Elders from the Kitikmeot Heritage Society, community members, hunters and trappers, regional tourism representatives, and scientists engage in an open conversation about integrating genomics with traditional knowledge for muskox co-management.

Colossal Bioscience’s attempt to de-extinct the dire wolf is a dangerously deceptive publicity stunt

David Coltman, Western University; Carson Mitchell, Western University; Liam Alastair Wayde Carter, Western University, and Tommy Galfano, Western University

rows of wolf skulls against an orange background

Grim scenes greeted divers in murky water at Edithburgh on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.

‘Like an underwater bushfire’: SA’s marine algal bloom is still killing almost everything in its path

Erin Barrera, University of Adelaide

Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds – an ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions

Jason Hoeksema, University of Mississippi

A yellow bird looks in a window at the camera while clinging to the window sill.

Half the remaining habitat of Australia’s most at-risk species is outside protected areas

Michelle Ward, Griffith University and James Watson, The University of Queensland

cleared land and farm, rainforest behind it.

Carney aims to make Canada an energy superpower. Who will be sacrificed for that goal?

Leah Levac, University of Guelph; Jane Stinson, Carleton University, and Leah M. Fusco, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Population explosions and declines are related to the stability of the economy and the environment

Ken G. Drouillard, University of Windsor; Claudio N. Verani, University of Windsor, and Marcelo Arbex, University of Windsor

a pictograph of people's silhouettes against a white background, random figures are coloured

Current legal frameworks can’t protect the oceans from deep-sea mining and the negative impacts on humankind

Susan Reid, University of British Columbia

A motorboat pulling a tube on a pristine lake, leave a wake.

Boat wakes aren’t just a nuisance, they harm freshwater shorelines and wildlife

Chris Houser, University of Waterloo

Laudato Si’: A look back on Pope Francis’s environmental legacy

Donald Wright, University of New Brunswick

A large mural n a wall depicting a man in a white cassock wiping away smog emanating from smoke stacks to reveal a blue sky

Old growth forests in eastern Canada show that the climate started changing almost 100 years ago

Alexandre Pace, Concordia University

Wildfire smoke and extreme heat can occur together: Preparing for the combined health effects of a hot, smoky future

Stephanie Cleland, Simon Fraser University

Two women on paddleboards with smoky haze obscuring the horizon

Ambitious changes to Canadian conservation law are needed to reverse the decline in biodiversity

Trevor Swerdfager, University of Waterloo and Derek Armitage, University of Waterloo

a striking orange and black butterfly with its wings spread

Canada-Ecuador free trade agreement threatens Indigenous rights and territories in the Amazon

Martina Jakubchik-Paloheimo, Queen's University, Ontario

Indigenous people from the Amazon protests in the streets. They carry a sign that says: 'Our territory is not for sale,' which is written in Waorani.

Who really killed Canada’s carbon tax? Friends and foes alike

Ryan M. Katz-Rosene, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

A group of people holding signs and flags walk along a highway with snowy mountains in the background.

Coal in Alberta: Neither public outrage nor waning global demand seem to matter to Danielle Smith

Ian Urquhart, University of Alberta

A sign on a grassy patch next to a road reads Mountains not Mines.

Using fire to produce nanoparticles could revolutionize various industries

Keroles Riad, Carleton University

Red shimmering energy particles, depicting the nanoparticles used to create nanotechnologies.

A man in a turban speaks into a microphone with a Canadian flag behind him. A gleaming wooden floor is in the foreground and wooden beams are overhead.

Canada’s federal election doesn’t seem like it’s about climate change, but it actually is

Mark Winfield, York University, Canada

Terminations at U.S. government agencies that monitor extreme weather events will have negative effects

Gordon McBean, Western University

Replacing gas vehicles with electric cars could prevent new cases of childhood asthma

Harshit Gujral, University of Toronto; Meredith Franklin, University of Toronto, and Steve Easterbrook, University of Toronto

Children walk to school as cars spewing exhaust are on the road next to them.

The history of ‘common sense’ matters when caring for our common home

Barbara Leckie, Carleton University

Silhouette of a pumpjack draws out oil from a wellhead against a sunset sky

How political leaders communicate climate policy should be a defining factor this election

Andrew Heffernan, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

people prepare plant boxes outside a building

Imagining what the world could look like without fossil fuels spurs people to action

Michael T. Schmitt, Simon Fraser University and Annika E. Lutz, Simon Fraser University

Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they’re overlooked in conservation strategies

Jonathan Cazabonne, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) and Danny Haelewaters, Czech Academy of Sciences

A cluster of orange _Mycena leaiana_ mushrooms growing from a dead log.

Youth are charting new freshwater futures by learning from the water on the water

Andrea Reid, University of British Columbia and Dalal Hanna, Carleton University

Zombie water apocalypse: Is Trump’s rhetoric over Canada’s water science-fiction or reality?

Tricia Stadnyk, University of Calgary

A wide blue river with mountains and pine trees surrounding it.

A collection of used, single-use medical plastic items — such as syringes, wipes, medicine containers and gloves.

Plant-based plastics could help reduce the millions of tonnes of medical waste hospitals generate each year

Elham Moshk Bid, University of Saskatchewan; Chris Zhang, University of Saskatchewan; Duncan Cree, McMaster University, and Lori Bradford, University of Saskatchewan

two signs on a gate one reading "Do Not Enter Biosecurity in Effect" and the second "Chicken Farmers of Canada"

AI is for the birds: How machine learning can help predict and manage avian flu outbreaks

Rozita Dara, University of Guelph

The Canada Carbon Rebate is still widely misunderstood — here’s why

Ruolz Ariste, Carleton University

Wildfire season is changing in Canada — posing even greater risks to the nation’s communities and ecosystems

Hossein Bonakdari, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

The smouldering remains of a residential block in Jasper, Alberta.

Soaring U.S. egg prices and millions of dead chickens signal the deep problems and risks in modern poultry production

Tony Weis, Western University

A sign stating there is a limit of 3 cartons of eggs due to egg shortages. There are boxes of dozens of packaged eggs beneath the sign.

The secret lives of polar bear families

Louise Archer, University of Toronto

two polar bear cubs curl up with their mother

A stock exchange screen with a green-tinted overlay

Investors value green labels — but not always for the right reasons

Vasundhara Saravade, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

An oil well situated near a field, which farmers are using combines to harvest.

Alberta’s oil and gas wells threaten people’s health, but there are disparities in who is most at risk

Martin Lavoie, St. Francis Xavier University; David Risk, St. Francis Xavier University, and Matthew Rygus, St. Francis Xavier University

Big corporations are getting away with catastrophic air pollution – putting Canadians at risk

David R Boyd, University of British Columbia and Amanda Giang, University of British Columbia

Smoke plumes spew from the smokestacks of a chemical industry plant into the air.

Climate change is threatening Lake Ontario — lessons from the Little Ice Age show us why we need to adapt

Daniel Macfarlane, Western Michigan University

A person skates across Lake Ontario during the sunset.

Farmers’ markets are a vital but overlooked part of fixing Canada’s struggling food system

Phoebe Stephens, Dalhousie University and Alyssa K Gerhardt, Dalhousie University

A person fills a display with fresh cobs of corn in a farmer's market

People at a demonstration carry placards and homemade signs

We need meaningful, not less, EDI and climate action in turbulent times

Sarah E. Sharma, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Amy Janzwood, McGill University; Julie MacArthur, Royal Roads University, and Runa Das, Royal Roads University

Water-based batteries could be key in helping Canada achieve its net zero goals by 2050 — here’s how

Meysam Maleki, Concordia University

Large wind turbines spin in the wind. They're built in woodlands near rural homes.

Net-zero homes are touted as a solution for climate change, but they remain out of reach for most

Ehsan Noroozinejad Farsangi, University of British Columbia and T.Y. Yang, University of British Columbia

a house's roof covered with solar panels

Trump’s reversal of climate policies risks undermining U.S. manufacturing — and could cost people jobs

Thomas Stuart, University of Victoria

A pumpjack seen in a field with four windmills in the distance

A polar bear is seen on an ice floe in a body of water strewn with ice.

Climate change is fuelling Trump’s desire to tap into Canada’s water and Arctic resources

Tricia Stadnyk, University of Calgary

A man with greyish blond hair speaks into a microphone in front of a large screen that reads Drill Baby Drill.

The impact of Donald Trump’s anti-climate measures on our heating planet

Bruce Campbell, York University, Canada

Farmers’ markets are a vital but overlooked part of fixing Canada’s struggling food system

Phoebe Stephens, Dalhousie University and Alyssa K Gerhardt, Dalhousie University

How Canada and the U.S. can still tackle climate change in a second Trump era

Andy Hira, Simon Fraser University and John J Clague, Simon Fraser University

People stand in a row carrying placards that read: drill baby drill

Canada’s electric vehicle industry is facing existential threats — here’s how it can still flourish

Charles Conteh, Brock University and Tia Henstra, Brock University

A charging cord plugged into a blue electric car

China is struggling to control its provinces as they expand distant-water fishing

Hang Zhou, Université Laval

5 ways to improve security governance and prevent future illegal mining tragedies from happening

Andrew Grant, Queen's University, Ontario; Benjamin Ofosu-Atuahene, Queen's University, Ontario, and Olusola Ogunnubi, Queen's University, Ontario

Two people lower a cage from a crane down into a vertical mine shaft