Impact
Make an impact with us!
We are a small team with big ideas. Our mission is to mobilize research for sustainability action. We do this by supporting researchers and enabling research activities, engaging with different communities through networks, events, and training, and communicating sustainability science to decision-makers and the wider public.
Would you like to make an impact through sustainability action? We are always looking for fruitful collaborations to expand climate and sustainability work for the benefit of people and planet. Contact us communications@sustainabilitydigitalage.org.
Our impact numbers
Enhancing science outreach
Informing decision-making
Combating misinformation
Empowering next-gen leaders
Contribution to science
The new knowledge we create is shared openly at conferences and in peer-reviewed papers to expand the sustainability science literature and increase its use in policy-making. To date, our scientific contributions number:
Knowledge mobilization in French
As part of our mission to mobilize research for sustainability action, we created Anthropocène, the French language version of Anthropocene Magazine, to ensure the latest innovations in climate and sustainability research are available in French. To date, we have translated the following number of articles:
Our impact highlights
Featured knowledge mobilization and research activities from 2020 to present.
Electrifying Concordia: A Living Lab on Sustainable and Community-Driven Decarbonization
Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth Canada are part of a new Living Lab Project under Concordia University’s Volt-Age research program designed “to tackle urgent challenges in electrification, sustainability, and energy transition.” Per Concordia, “Living Labs bring researchers and societal partners together to test ideas in real-world settings.” The funded project, Electrifying Concordia: A Living Lab on Sustainable and Community-Driven Decarbonization, will engage the Concordia community in hands-on research and implementation of decarbonization solutions in line with Concordia’s ambitious Sustainability Action Plan and PLAN/NET ZERØ programs.
Principal investigator: Damon Matthews, Concordia University. Co-principal investigators: Alexandra Lesnikowski, Concordia University; Adriane MacDonald, Concordia University; Marc-Antoni Goulet, Concordia University; Govind Gopakumar, Concordia University.
Impact – Connecting research to society and transdisciplinary research
This Living Lab will involve ongoing consultation and engagement with campus groups to reflect community needs and priorities towards decarbonization. By working together, the project aims to create a resilient, low-carbon campus that can serve as a model for other institutions and communities looking to tackle sustainability challenges.
Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
We continue research under the Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions project. Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth Canada Hub are working on understanding the landscape of NbS in Canada, exploring the opportunities and challenges of using AI and other digital technologies, while engaging with diverse interest-holders and rights holders. Our research aims to reveal pathways to foster equitable and impactful NbS in Canada and worldwide.
As part of this project, we have been creating a database of NbS initiatives in Canada that support biodiversity, climate change mitigation, and human well-being outcomes. Since our first report in 2022, we have identified around 1000 initiatives! Are you working on Nature-based Solutions in Canada? We want to hear from you. You may submit your project here and contact us at camilo.alejo.monroy@futureearth.org. Our official database launch will be in 2025.
Impact – Building tools to track and manage sustainability progress
The public database contributes to monitoring, informing decisions regarding NbS, and accelerating Canada’s climate and biodiversity targets in a just, equitable, and inclusive manner.
Workshop Agreement on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Water Management
Future Earth Canada and Sustainability in the Digital Age were supported by the Standards Council of Canada to host a workshop identifying challenges and opportunities of using Nature-based Solutions for water management in Canada. The workshop brought together over 30 interested parties including municipalities, Indigenous organizations, non-profit organizations, conservation authorities, and academic institutions, to contribute perspectives and case studies, offering practical guidance to enhance on NbS adoption. The resulting “Workshop Agreement on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Water Management” is available for download at no cost, and provides an overview of key benefits of NbS for water management, a series of case studies demonstrating NbS in action, and presenting key challenges and mitigation strategies for effective implementation of NbS.
Impact – Informing national decision making on Nature-based Solutions for water management
Insights and recommendations developed during the workshops may inform the development of technical guidance or a National Standard of Canada in the future. By prioritizing research, advocacy, and policy alignment, Canada can position NbS as a fundamental component of its forward-looking water management and climate adaptation strategies.
Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) and Global Alliance for Digital Education and Sustainability (GADES)
We continue our commitment as co-champion of the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) to direct the use of digital technologies towards accelerating environmentally and socially sustainable development and, under CODES Impact Initiative 3 on Education for Digital Environmental Sustainability, to the Global Alliance for Digital Education and Sustainability (GADES).
Impact – Informing sustainable decision making in the digital age
CODES is an international multi-partner alliance focused on three “shifts” and nine priority initiatives for a sustainable planet in the digital age through global working groups. GADES is a global community of knowledge and practice advancing digital education – awareness, capacity, and literacy around the design, development, and use of digital technologies, with consideration for social and environmental sustainability.
Anthropocène
Ongoing publication of Anthropocène, our online resource featuring short, sharp summaries in French of the most compelling research on climate and sustainability. Anthropocène is the French language version of Anthropocene Magazine published by Future Earth. We would like to thank the US Hub of Future Earth for their collaboration on this project.
Impact – Making good climate and sustainability science accessible to a broader audience
This work addresses the challenges of creating, disseminating, translating, and making discoverable scientific information in French that can accelerate progress towards a more sustainable future. For us, the publication of these articles in French is an important mission in the fight for a more equitable and sustainable world.
French translation of the 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2024/2025 titled “Les 10 nouvelles perspectives en sciences du climat 2024/2025”
On 28 October, the English language version of the annual climate science synthesis report “10 New Insights in Climate Science 2024/2025” was launched by a consortium of globally renowned social, natural and climate scientists. The report urged policymakers at COP29 to reflect on the insights in updating the submissions of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (due in early 2025), and drive attention to them within negotiations. Directly after COP29 on 28 November, Future Earth Canada, Sustainability in the Digital Age, and Leadership in Environmental and Digital innovation for Sustainability (LEADS), in collaboration with Concordia University, HEC Montréal, and the Next-Generation Cities Institute launched the French language version of the report “Les 10 nouvelles perspectives en sciences du climat 2024/2025” in Montréal with an interactive hybrid event featuring outstanding speakers.
The “10 New Insights in Climate Science” series is developed and presented jointly by The Earth League, Future Earth, and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). This important synthesis is peer-reviewed, published in an academic journal, and has been launched annually since 2017 at the climate COP with the participation of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Impact – Democratization of climate science knowledge
The report equips policymakers with the latest and most pivotal climate science research from the previous 18 months, synthesized to help inform negotiations and policy implementation. We hope the French version of this annual publication will serve as a reference in our Canadian and Quebec political bodies and help to break down barriers, be they cultural, social, scientific or linguistic.
Anthropocène
With support from Concordia University, we launched “Anthropocène,” a new online resource featuring short, sharp summaries in French of the most compelling research on climate science and sustainability. Anthropocène is the French language version of Anthropocene Magazine published by Future Earth. We would like to thank the US Hub of Future Earth for their collaboration on this project.
Impact – Making good climate and sustainability science accessible to a broader audience
This project addresses the challenges of creating, disseminating, translating, and making discoverable scientific information in French that can accelerate progress towards a more sustainable future. For us, the publication of these articles in French is an important mission in the fight for a more equitable and sustainable world.
Global Alliance for Digital Education and Sustainability (GADES)
Under the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) Impact Initiative 3 on Education for Digital Environmental Sustainability, we co-organized the Global Alliance for Digital Education and Sustainability (GADES) along with 10 global partners and released a new report on artificial intelligence and digital literacy. GADES is a global community of knowledge and practice advancing digital education – awareness, capacity, and literacy around the design, development, and use of digital technologies, with consideration for social and environmental sustainability.
Impact – Creation of a new global community of practice
Within one year, GADES engaged over 80 interest-holders from 23 nations spanning five continents to discuss how AI and digital literacy should be reimagined and advanced to help build a society capable of designing and using digital solutions without adding to social inequality or the on-going environmental crisis. Under GADES, a database showcasing global examples of education programs on digital sustainability was published to support knowledge dissemination efforts.
United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
Our team was thrilled to attend the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) as part of Canada’s delegation. The theme for this year’s Forum was “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions.” One of the important discussions at the HLPF focused on global foresight to “protect human and planetary health.” Feeding into this discussion was a report that drew from a North American Regional Foresight Workshop that our team organized. The full report, “Navigating New Horizons – A Global Foresight Report on Planetary Health and Human Wellbeing,” offers invaluable insights from multiple world regions into the potential challenges as well as untapped opportunities to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Impact – Informed United Nations strategic priority setting and the global environmental agenda
Our work gathered insights from North America and was combined with a synthesis from regional workshops all over the world, culminating in a global report. The report identifies drivers of change, including environmental degradation, growing scarcity and competition for resources, and series of critical global shifts and signals of change with the potential to affect the future (near and far) of planetary health and human wellbeing.
French translation of the 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024 titled “Les 10 nouvelles perspectives en sciences du climat 2023/2024”
At Concordia University, Sustainability in the Digital Age, Future Earth Canada, and Leadership in Environmental and Digital innovation for Sustainability (LEADS) launched the first ever French translation of the 10 New Insights in Climate Science Report. The “10 New Insights in Climate Science” series is developed and presented jointly by The Earth League, Future Earth, and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). This important synthesis is peer-reviewed, published in an academic journal, and has been launched annually since 2017 at the climate COP with the participation of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The hybrid event featured a presentation of the latest climate science research and a dynamic panel discussion in French with distinguished speakers.
Impact – Democratization of climate science knowledge
The report equips policymakers with the latest and most pivotal climate science research from the previous 18 months, synthesized to help inform negotiations and policy implementation. We hope the French version of this annual publication will serve as a reference in our Canadian and Quebec political bodies and help to break down barriers, be they cultural, social, scientific or linguistic.
Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions
This year, we expanded our previous work on Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions. As a country, Canada committed to conserving 30% of its land and water by 2030, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These targets are critical to protect biodiversity, fight climate change and maintain a strong, sustainable economy. Nature based Solutions (NbS) can help but decision-makers need to know more on how and where to implement NbS for the most impact per dollar.
Impact – Building tools to track and manage sustainability progress
Our team contributed to building NbS knowledge in the following ways:
– AI algorithm protocol to prioritize conservation areas in Canada based on sequestered and avoided land use emissions and biodiversity,
– Spatial Nature-based Solutions (NbS) Database Canada,
– Quantified carbon stocks and biodiversity within lands under Canada’s Indigenous Guardians program.
AI for Ecosystems and AI for a Sustainable Society
Requirements are growing for governments and businesses to report on their impacts on nature, and climate. The AI community is already developing tools to support nature disclosures, but more effort is needed to ensure tools are informed by existing biodiversity expertise. In our AI for Ecosystems project, we surveyed biodiversity and ecosystem scientists as a starting point for dialogue, to identify knowledge gaps, and help inform reporting recommendations. We found: There is recognition that AI can offer transformational opportunities but there is a need for unpacking “how” to go about it; There is a gap, in experience with, and perception of need for, AI for biodiversity management and disclosure reporting.
In August 2023, an International Conference on AI for a Sustainable Society was held at Academia Sinica, organized by Future Earth Taipei, in collaboration with Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth Canada Hub. Over the course of two days, topics such as AI in Ethics and Sustainability, AI for ESG (environmental, social and governance), and AI for Education were discussed by about 200 participants from academia, government, and civil society. This rewarding experience closed with a poem from Audrey Tang, digital minister of Taiwan,
When we see “internet of things”, let’s make it an internet of beings.
When we see “virtual reality”, let’s make it a shared reality.
When we see “machine learning”, let’s make it collaborative learning.
When we see “user experience”, let’s make it about human experience.
When we hear “the singularity is near”, let us remember: the plurality is here.
Impact – Contribution to scientific literature and public awareness on the uses and impacts of AI for sustainability practice
As the breadth of AI applications grows, these two projects advanced transdisciplinary research to ensure that AI is developed and deployed responsibly and in line with sustainable practices.
North American Regional Consultation in advance of the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6)
Our team organized and hosted a North American Regional Consultation in advance of the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6). This expert workshop gathered input from North American stakeholders in the public, private, and academic sector to build capacity amongst the UN’s Major Groups and Stakeholders network and to help develop responses to and recommendations for the eleven proposed Ministerial Resolutions addressed at UNEA-6 in February 2024. Our team also helped draft the meeting’s opening and closing statements.
Impact – Informed United Nations strategic priority setting and the global environmental agenda
The UN Environment Assembly groups 5,600 people – representing 190 countries and including over 1000 members of civil society organizations – under the critical mandate of the legitimate human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Contribution to Canada‘s 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy
Environment and Climate Change Canada, alongside the Office of the Chief Science Advisor for Canada, held consultations to identify key scientific considerations to strengthen Canada’s Action Plan for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets. These consultations solicited expertise from across Indigenous and western science to suggest tangible actions/initiatives related to science and knowledge for Framework implementation. Future Earth Canada and Sustainability in the Digital Age was invited to take part in the consultation on the theme: Mainstreaming, policy, and tools.
Impact – Informed national decision-making on Canada’s biodiversity and sustainability strategies
Our team‘s contributions to this process were cited in the interim version of Canada‘s 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy that lays out how the 2030 Strategy will be framed and reflects existing programming and investments. The final 2030 Strategy will be available in 2024, prior to the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
United Nations Secretary General’s brief on the Global Digital Compact
In May 2023, the UN Secretary-General issued a policy brief for the Global Digital Compact, outlining areas where “the need for multi-stakeholder digital cooperation is urgent.” The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES), an international multi-partner alliance, co-championed by Sustainability in the Digital Age, Future Earth, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Science Council, the German Environment Agency, and the Kenya Ministry of Environment and Forestry, was cited in this important report. CODES works to catalyze three systemic shifts for digital sustainability. The co-champions act as the Secretariat for CODES in close coordination and cooperation with the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology.
Impact – Contributed to international priority setting for sustainable digital policymaking
We are proud to highlight that our work with CODES was cited in this important policy brief, within the critical topics of closing the digital divide and advancing the sustainable development goals.
Re-imagining Climate Governance in the Digital Age and the Digital Climate Projects Database
For Re-imagining Climate Governance in the Digital Age, Sustainability in the Digital Age and Future Earth in partnership with ClimateWorks Foundation collected insights from researchers, philanthropists, venture capitalists, social entrepreneurs, and technology innovators across five continents who work at the intersection of digital technology and climate action to develop a strategic framework for how philanthropic investments can drive transformative changes in climate governance systems. In addition to this framework, the Digital Climate Projects Database was developed to 1) increase awareness of global projects using digital tools to strengthen climate action and 2) to increase knowledge sharing and connectivity.
Impact – Built tools to track and inform philanthropic investments in digital climate governance
The database collected over 200 projects that: help reduce the sources or increase the sinks of greenhouse gas emissions; leverage digital tools, and; aim to influence, impact, or inform governmental and non-governmental decision making processes.
Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, manage and restore ecosystems for the benefit of people and nature. With funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Mitacs, and other partners, our research on Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) aims to understand the current landscape of NbS and identify actions that can work with and enhance nature to address societal challenges like biodiversity loss and climate change. Our joint effort focuses on ways to ensure NbS is implemented equitably for Canada and beyond, exploring the opportunities and challenges of using AI while engaging Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
Impact – Connecting research to society and elevating public awareness in Canada on the topic of Nature-based Solutions
Over a 2 year period, we convened over 100 international participants on workshops exploring perceptions of nature-based solutions. We began new partnerships with private sector and Indigenous partners to understand the current landscape of NbS opportunities across Canada.
United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal
Along with nearly 200 hundred nations, we attended the United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP15, where Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Our team supported the Future Earth science delegation, organized a booth, presented at various side events, and took part in the Indigenous Village.
Impact – Supported the historic deal to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss
Helped local, national, and international policymakers advance sustainability solutions.
Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES)
The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) is an international multi-partner alliance created in March 2021 in response to the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap on Digital Cooperation. CODES’ purpose is to advance digital sustainability – understood as the design, development, deployment and regulation of digital technologies to accelerate environmentally and socially sustainable development while mitigating risks and unintended consequences. The founding co-champions of CODES include the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Science Council, the German Environment Agency, the Kenya Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Future Earth, and Sustainability in the Digital Age. The co-champions act as the Secretariat for CODES in close coordination and cooperation with the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology.
Impact – Informed, sustainable decision making in the digital age
CODES introduced three “shifts” and nine priority initiatives for a sustainable planet in the digital age, and created multi-partner working groups to move these initiatives forward. During the Stockholm+50 international environmental meeting, CODES launched the “Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age” to a global audience.
Global Risks Perceptions Initiative
The Global Risks Perceptions Initiative captures and analyzes the perceptions on global risk of different scientific communities with the aim of sparking and informing a pluralistic dialogue around risks that draws on a diversity of experience and knowledge. Over the past 15 years, dialogues and framings of global risks have been shaped by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which regularly surveys business and economic leaders on their risk perceptions. Building from this, Future Earth and Sustainability in the Digital Age, in collaboration with the International Science Council surveyed the global sustainability science community’s perceptions of global risks.
Impact – Promoted inclusive dialogues on global risk (bringing forward a science perspective on risk)
Two rounds of surveys reached over 400 respondents in over 50 countries. In analyzing and publishing responses, we hope to enrich the conversation around risk mitigation strategies already underway and create more inclusive dialogues towards solutions.
Biodiversity Pathways for Sustainability in Canada
Biodiversity Pathways for Sustainability in Canada reflects on a decade of conservation knowledge in Canada to inform the development of potential pathways towards achieving Canada’s post-2020 global biodiversity commitments. With funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the project is guided by a prestigious and multi-disciplinary advisory committee including representatives of GEO BON (Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network), the Indigenous Circle of Experts, Statistics Canada, and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. This work is also leading our team to preliminary explorations of machine learning applications for biodiversity conservation and Indigenous concepts of nature-based climate solutions.
Impact – Informed national decision making on Canada’s 2030 biodiversity and sustainability strategies
The knowledge produced during this project informed a report produced by Environment Canada exploring how Science and knowledge needs to support Canada’s implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
National Dialogue Series: Canada’s Sustainable Future – Creating a Digital Action Plan
The National Dialogue Series: Canada’s Sustainable Future – Creating a Digital Action Plan hosted by Future Earth, Sustainability in the Digital Age, and the Canadian Science Policy Centre with funding granted from Employment and Social Development Canada sought to address the following question: How might digital innovations help Canada achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030? In the fall of 2021, we connected 50 leaders in sustainability science and digital innovations with 375 participants via four virtual public town halls and three virtual consultation sessions to discuss three critical themes for Canada: 1) Digital Transformation to Scale Public Awareness for Sustainability, 2) Enabling cross-sectoral partnerships to drive sustainable innovation and 3) Indigenous Science and Knowledge Driving Transformative Solutions.
Impact – Connected researchers with societal partners and built public awareness
This project looked broadly at the context within Canada by examining factors that support and challenge practical implementation of the SDGs. It focused on the role digital technologies and partnerships play and explores how ethical collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and Knowledge Systems can contribute to a more coordinated, national SDG approach. This work was presented to the federal government and other civil society stakeholders at the 2021 Canadian Science Policy Conference.
Digital Disruptions for Sustainability Research Agenda (D^2S Agenda) and Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age
The Digital Disruptions for Sustainability Research Agenda (D^2S Agenda) explores the opportunities and challenges of leveraging the digital age to disrupt existing economic, governance, and cognitive systems that keep society on a carbon-intensive path. The D^2S Agenda was developed with input from over 250 experts around the globe and received coverage in 55 different media outlets, 19 countries, and 7 languages
The Montreal Statement on Sustainability in the Digital Age unites voices of digital and sustainability experts working at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and policy. Developed with the support of leading research and philanthropy organizations from four countries – Canada, the UK, France, and the USA – the Montreal Statement was discussed during a side-event at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum and received coverage by 175 media outlets internationally.
Impact – Creation of Sustainability in the Digital Age, an international research-for-action initiative
Sustainability in the Digital Age (SDA) launched as an international research-for-action partnership with Future Earth, Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, the International Science Council (ISC) and the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt or UBA). SDA was created with a mission to advance research, innovation, and action that leverages the digital age to drive transformative system changes for a climate-safe, sustainable, and equitable world. With financial support from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), ClimateWorks Foundation, and Montreal International, SDA is housed at Concordia University in Montreal.
Leadership in Environmental and Digital innovation for Sustainability (LEADS) program
In June 2020, Concordia University and Future Earth Canada launched a bilingual scientific training program for graduate students at the intersection of environmental science and digital innovation. The Leadership in Environmental and Digital innovation for Sustainability (LEADS) program received $1.65 million in funding, to be distributed over six years, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program. In addition to acquiring theoretical skills in data analytics and digital communication, trainees intern with Canadian organizations to gain hands-on experience in digital sustainability.
Impact – Empowering over 85 trainees (and counting!) to become next-generation sustainability leaders
LEADS upskills graduate students through an annual summer school, leadership workshop, networking activities and internships equipping trainees to become leaders at the crossroads of sustainability science and digital innovation.
Our global reach
Knowledge mobilization activities since 2021
Communities we work with
How we reach those communities
Location of those communities
Dynamic discussions we have facilitated
Nature-based Solutions in Canada
As part of our ongoing research into Equitable futures for Nature-based Solutions (NbS), we conducted a working session with 15-20 invited participants to enrich a collective reflection on how to apply NbS research from a user perspective, including the finance sector and government. In previous work, we completed a landscape analysis of NbS across Canada (database launching 2025) and developed an AI model to identify NbS locations that maximize threatened biodiversity protection with ecological intactness, carbon storage, and water surface stability. We also explored how Indigenous-led NbS align with Canada’s carbon and biodiversity targets. This session focused on future thinking for NbS in Canada.
Dates: June 12, 2025
Participants: 20
Format: Hybrid
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Water Management in Canada
Future Earth Canada and Sustainability in the Digital Age were supported by the Standards Council of Canada to host a workshop identifying challenges and opportunities of using Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for water management in Canada. The workshop brought together over 30 interested parties including municipalities, Indigenous organizations, non-profit organizations, conservation authorities, and academic institutions, to contribute perspectives and case studies, offering practical guidance to enhance on NbS adoption. The resulting report is available for download at no cost, and provides an overview of key benefits of NbS for water management, a series of case studies demonstrating NbS in action, and presenting key challenges and mitigation strategies for effective implementation of NbS.
Dates: October 29 and 31, 2024
Participants: 33
Format: Virtual
LEADS – Leadership Workshop
This annual workshop brings together students, academics, and community leaders involved in the Leadership in Environmental and Digital Innovation for Sustainability graduate training program to learn about collective leadership and connect leadership concepts with their research. The 2023 workshop centered on storytelling, exploring different means to develop effective communication that bridge diverse worldviews. The 2024 workshop focused on collective leadership, transdisciplinary research and meaningful engagement. The 2025 workshop explored collective leadership, conscious communication and meaningful engagement.
Dates: 2023, 2024 and 2025 (February and March)
Participants: 65 (total over three years)
Format: In-person
Measuring the environmental impact of AI Workshop
This virtual workshop was an open discussion to identify the key issues and knowledge gaps related to measuring the environmental impacts of AI, and ways to better address them. Participants from industry, academia, and the non-profit sector, contributed theoretical and methodological inputs, as well as shared their experiences in the field (challenges, good practices, specific needs, etc.) These helped identify courses of action and guided the next stage of our work with IVADO on the topic of measuring the environmental impact of AI.
Dates: October 24, 2024
Participants: 30
Format: Virtual
UNEP North American Strategic Foresight Workshop
This workshop was convened in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Science Council and hosted by the Convention on Biological Diversity to provide inputs to UNEP’s strategic foresight initiative. Following a global horizon scanning exercise, regional workshops were held to contextualize global findings and explore region-specific dynamics, issues, risks and opportunities. Insights from the workshop were used to inform UNEPs internal decision-making and contributed to the 2024 report: Navigating New Horizons – A Global Foresight Report on Planetary Health and Human Wellbeing.
Dates: November 9-10, 2023
Participants: 29
Format: In-person
Canada’s Sustainable Future – Creating a Digital Action Plan
As part of a national dialogue series called: Canada’s Sustainable Future – Creating a Digital Action Plan, we connected 50 leaders in sustainability science and digital innovations with 375 participants via four public town halls and three consultation sessions to discuss three critical themes for Canada: 1) Digital Transformation to Scale Public Awareness for Sustainability, 2) Enabling cross-sectoral partnerships to drive sustainable innovation and 3) Indigenous Science and Knowledge Driving Transformative Solutions.
Dates: September 22, 2021 – October 7, 2021
Participants: 425 (across 7 gatherings)
Format: Virtual
Digital Technology & Climate Governance: Expert Co-Working Sprint
As part of the Reimagining Climate Governance in the Digital Age project, a series of expert consultations were held, timed to engage experts from different geographic regions and time zones. Discussions with experts served to develop and refine a strategic framework to provide guidance on how philanthropic investments can leverage the digital age to drive transformative changes in climate governance systems and inform a report on Dynamic Philanthropy.
Dates: July 27-29, 2021
Participants: 54
Format: Virtual
Integrated Biodiversity Pathways for Sustainability in Canada
This workshop brought together scientists, Indigenous scholars, government and private sector, and digital innovators to build a shared vision of biodiversity-centered pathways for sustainable development in Canada. Participants identified goals, key challenges, and opportunities, and co-developed a set of key strategies. Insights from the workshop contributed to a Knowledge Synthesis Report for Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and informed the 2024 interim version of Canada’s 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy.
Dates: May 27-28, 2021
Participants: 20
Format: Virtual
Our supporters
