Science activities related to reducing emissions and increasing climate resilience

Government of Canada climate change science activities support the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The list below reflects the activities of thirteen departments and agencies that were surveyed in 2016 on their climate change science activities (both natural and social sciences).

Activities are categorized under different priority action areas (e.g., Building Resilience through Infrastructure, Government Leadership). It is important to note that some Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change action areas like International Leadership are not represented here because departments and agencies were not asked to report on them at the time. Federal support for climate science and research in the academic sector has also been added to this list since the 2016 survey.

Please also note that activities below may appear under more than one action area, since many are cross-cutting and address multiple aspects of climate change (clean technology initiatives are denoted with an asterisk).

List of acronyms

Electricity

  • Economic analysis of forest-related climate change mitigation (NRCan)
  • Energy benchmarking for the mining sector (NRCan)*

Industry

  • Economic analysis of forest-related climate change mitigation (NRCan)
  • Reducing greenhouse gases through replacement of diesel in underground mining (NRCan)*
  • Energy benchmarking for the mining sector (NRCan)*

Transportation

  • Direct emissions research related to transportation and fuel sectors (ECCC)*
  • Aviation emissions atmospheric and alternate fuels flight research (TC/NRC)*
  • Canadian biojet fuel supply chain (TC)*
  • Support for the Aviation Sustainability Center (TC)
  • Participation in the Canadian Transportation Research Forum (TC)*
  • Potential impact of aviation emissions on the atmosphere in the Arctic (TC)
  • Measurement and characterization of black carbon emissions from aircraft engines (TC)
  • Novel calibration method for mass measurement instrument (for black carbon or non-volatile Particulate Matter (TC)*
  • Transportation energy use and emission modelling and scenarios (TC)
  • ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles II Program (TC)*
  • Airport greenhouse gas inventory - Airport Carbon Emissions Reporting Tool (TC)
  • Clean rail and marine technology development (TC)*

Government Leadership

  • Geoscience for enhancing climate resilience program (2016-2021) (NRCan)
  • Carbon stocks and dynamics in protected areas: coastal blue carbon, lake sediment carbon, and forest carbon (PCA)
  • Assessment of climate risks and adaptation practices for the Canadian transportation sector (TC)

Forestry, agriculture, and waste

  • Soil carbon activities (AAFC)
  • Crop development and production/landscape management activities (AAFC)
  • Livestock diet and manure management activities (AAFC)
  • Research on public perceptions of climate change in relation to forest (NRCan)
  • Climate-based risk models and maps for exotic and native forest pathogens (NRCan)
  • Studies and process simulation to estimate Canada’s forest carbon sources and sinks (NRCan)
  • Economic analysis of forest-related climate change mitigation (NRCan)
  • Carbon stocks and dynamics in protected areas: coastal blue carbon, lake sediment carbon, and forest carbon (PCA)
  • Aviation emissions atmospheric and alternate fuels flight research (TC/NRC)*
  • Canadian biojet fuel supply chain (TC)*

Built environment

  • Updating climatic design data in the national infrastructure codes and standards (ECCC)
  • Urban forests monitoring (ECCC)
  • Economic analysis of forest-related climate change mitigation (NRCan)
  • Participation in the Canadian Transportation Research Forum (TC)*

Fundamental and cross-cutting activities

Translating scientific information and traditional knowledge into action

  • Crop development and production/landscape management activities (AAFC)
  • Agricultural drought/stress tolerance activities (AAFC)
  • Agricultural forecasting/modelling/decision support systems activities (AAFC)
  • Agricultural soil/landscape management activities (AAFC)
  • Vulnerability of coastal infrastructure (DFO)
  • Adapting to sea level rise (DFO)
  • Aquatic climate change risk assessments (DFO)
  • Ocean acidification research (DFO)
  • Refinement of applied ocean models (DFO)
  • Vulnerability of fish stock assessments (DFO)
  • Updating climatic design data in the national infrastructure codes and standards (ECCC)
  • International Union on the Conservation of Nature threat assessment calculator spreadsheets (ECCC)
  • Biosphere reserves as climate change adaptation demonstration sites (ECCC)
  • Species at Risk listing and permitting (ECCC)
  • Cryosphere (snow and ice) and terrestrial climate processes research and modelling (ECCC)
  • Climate change impacts and adaptation for vulnerable freshwater systems (ECCC)
  • Climate change impacts on wildlife species and developing climate sound adaptation strategies (ECCC)
  • Monitoring the impact of climate change on birds (ECCC)
  • Arctic coastal ecosystem characterization using Earth observation data (ECCC)
  • Impacts of climate change on caribou (ECCC)
  • Climate change impacts on Species at Risk (ECCC)
  • Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River adaptive management committee of the International Joint Commission (ECCC)
  • Effects of climate change on ecosystems (ECCC)
  • Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program for Northern First Nations and Inuit communities (HC)
  • Climate change and health brochures for targeted vulnerable populations (HC)
  • Climate change and health impacts: Canadian literature review (HC)*
  • An inventory of urban heat island reduction measures in Canadian communities (HC)
  • Aviation emissions atmospheric and alternate fuels flight research (TC/NRC)*
  • Research on public perceptions of climate change in relation to forest (NRCan)
  • Geoscience for enhancing climate resilience program (2016-2021) (NRCan)
  • Earth observation trend analytics (NRCan)
  • Economic analysis of forest-related climate change mitigation (NRCan)
  • Climate-based risk models and maps for exotic and native forest pathogens (NRCan)
  • Enabling climate change adaptation in Canada’s forest sector through vulnerability assessments and adaptive capacity research (NRCan)
  • Forest Change program (NRCan)
  • Enhancing competitiveness in a changing climate – mining sector (NRCan)
  • Aviation emissions atmospheric and alternate fuels flight research (TC/NRC)*
  • Carbon stocks and dynamics in protected areas: coastal blue carbon, lake sediment carbon, and forest carbon (PCA)
  • Climate change vulnerability assessments for wildlife in Canada’s northern national parks (PCA)
  • Assessment of climate risks and adaptation practices for the Canadian transportation sector (TC)
  • Participation in the Canadian Transportation Research Forum (TC)*

Building climate resilience through infrastructure

  • Crop development and production/landscape management activities (AAFC)
  • Vulnerability of coastal infrastructure (DFO)
  • Adapting to sea level rise (DFO)
  • Aquatic climate change risk assessments (DFO)
  • Updating climatic design data in the national infrastructure codes and standards (ECCC)
  • International Union on the Conservation of Nature threat assessment calculator spreadsheets (ECCC)
  • Biosphere reserves as climate change adaptation demonstration sites (ECCC)
  • Species at Risk listing and permitting (ECCC)
  • Climate change and health brochures for targeted vulnerable populations (HC)
  • Climate change and health impacts: Canadian literature review (HC)*
  • An inventory of urban heat island reduction measures in Canadian communities (HC)
  • Aviation emissions atmospheric and alternate fuels flight research (TC/NRC)*
  • Geoscience for enhancing climate resilience program (2016-2021) (NRCan)
  • Earth observation trend analytics (NRCan)
  • Assessment of climate risks and adaptation practices for the Canadian transportation sector (TC)
  • Participation in the Canadian Transportation Research Forum (TC)*

Reducing climate related hazards and disaster risks

  • Agricultural drought/stress tolerance activities (AAFC)
  • Vulnerability of coastal infrastructure (DFO)
  • Adapting to sea level rise (DFO)
  • Ocean acidification research (DFO)
  • Updating climatic design data in the national infrastructure codes and standards (ECCC)
  • Arctic coastal ecosystem characterization using Earth observations data (ECCC)
  • Climate change and health brochures for targeted vulnerable populations (HC)
  • An inventory of urban heat island reduction measures in Canadian communities (HC)
  • Geoscience for enhancing climate resilience program (2016-2021) (NRCan)
  • Climate-based risk models and maps for exotic and native forest pathogens (NRCan)
  • Forest Change program (NRCan)

Protecting and improving human health and well being

Supporting particularly vulnerable regions

  • Agricultural drought/stress tolerance activities (AAFC)
  • Agricultural forecasting/modelling/decision support systems activities (AAFC)
  • Agricultural soil/landscape management activities (AAFC)
  • Vulnerability of coastal infrastructure (DFO)
  • Adapting to sea level rise (DFO)
  • Aquatic climate change risk assessments (DFO)
  • Ocean acidification research (DFO)
  • Refinement of applied ocean models (DFO)
  • Vulnerability of fish stock assessments (DFO)
  • International Union on the Conservation of Nature threat assessment calculator spreadsheets (ECCC)
  • Biosphere reserves as climate change adaptation demonstration sites (ECCC)
  • Climate change impacts and adaptation for vulnerable freshwater systems (ECCC)
  • Climate change impacts on wildlife species and developing climate sound adaptation strategies (ECCC)
  • Monitoring the impact of climate change on birds (ECCC)
  • Climate Change and Health Adaptation Program for Northern First Nations and Inuit communities (HC)
  • Climate change and health impacts: Canadian literature review (HC)*
  • An inventory of urban heat island reduction measures in Canadian communities (HC)
  • Geoscience for enhancing climate resilience program (2016-2021) (NRCan)
  • Earth observation trend analytics (NRCan)
  • Enabling climate change adaptation in Canada’s forest sector through vulnerability assessments and adaptive capacity research (NRCan)
  • Forest Change program (NRCan)
  • Carbon stocks and dynamics in protected areas: coastal blue carbon, lake sediment carbon, and forest carbon (PCA)
  • Climate change vulnerability assessments for wildlife in Canada’s northern national parks (PCA)

Research Grants and Funding for Post-Secondary Institutions

The Government of Canada supports climate scientists and researchers in the academic sector through grants and funding offered by the three federal funding agencies (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The list below includes both broad and targeted programs that provide funding for climate research.

List of Acronyms

AAFC
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
CFI
Canada Foundation for Innovation
CIHR
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
CSA
Canadian Space Agency
DFO
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
ECCC
Environment and Climate Change Canada
HC
Health Canada
IDRC
International Development Research Centre
ISED
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
NRCan
Natural Resources Canada
NRC
National Research Council
NSERC
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
PCA
Parks Canada
PCF
Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
PHAC
Public Health Agency of Canada
SSHRC
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
TBS
Treasury Board Secretariat
TC
Transport Canada

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