News

A new University of Waterloo initiative aims to shape the future of sustainability for the benefit of the environment, economy, and society.

The Sustainable Futures Initiative is a collaboration that brings together the Water Institute, the  Waterloo Climate Institute and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy  to accelerate holistic approaches to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on the interconnections between energy, climate and water.

Two Water Institute members have been honoured by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). Anita Layton, Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine, Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy and Biology, and Aiping Yu, University Research Chair, Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, are among 156 other Canadian researchers elected by their peers for outstanding scholarly, scientific, and artistic achievement announced recently by the RSC.

The Water Institute is pleased to announce its Fall 2022 WaterTalks lineup. Reserve these dates in your calendar, so as not to miss any of our world-class talks.

The Water Institute at the University of Waterloo is set to host its 7^th international Water Institute Research Conference from September 26 to 28, spotlighting the theme Water as a foundation for healthy communities and sustainable livelihoods.

A University of Waterloo press release.

University of Waterloo is leading an interdisciplinary team to identify and treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – better known as forever chemicals – in water systems affecting more than 2.5 million Canadians. 

Water Institute member Larry Swatuk, professor, School of Environment, Enterprise and Development, School of Planning and Department of Geography and Environmental Management, and School of Planning alumna Corrine Cash, assistant professor, Department of Geography and Environment, Mount Allison University, have a new book out offering best practices for avoiding Day Zero.

A University of Waterloo Press Release.

Relying on stormwater management (SWM) ponds to restore the depleting wetlands is not sustainable and lacks the critical ecosystem services vital for biodiversity, a new study found.

With the continued losses of wetlands projected in the near future and emphasis on the underestimation of provincial wetland loss, the study captures the contributions of SWM ponds in a changing network of water bodies and the effects of land use and land cover in this change. 

Political scientist Daniel Henstra speaks to AMO on how Ontario municipalities can prepare for climate impacts

By Jon Parsons, University Relations

Climate change is such a huge issue that it can be difficult to even know where to start.

It involves sophisticated science and mountains of data, as well as social, political and economic implications that intersect with various academic disciplines.

But for Daniel Henstra, a professor in the Department of Political Science and the co-lead of Waterloo’s Climate Risk Research Group, climate change is an immediate and practical matter.

The Canadian environmental organization Pollution Probe has recently released a new report, Mapping Phosphorus Flows in the Ontario Economy: Exploring Nutrient Recovery and Reuse Opportunities in a Provincial Context, produced in collaboration with academic experts from the University of Waterloo’s Water Institute, Université Laval and McGill University.

Simron Singh, Water Institute member and professor at the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development has recently been elected as Executive Secretary of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE), as well as the Co-Chair of the Risk-KAN, the Knowledge-Action Network on Emergent Risks and Extreme Events.