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Vision Statement

Visioning the Future: University of Calgary's Potential for Climate Leadership

Climate change is swiftly becoming the defining issue of the twenty-first century. We are currently facing intertwined crises including mass species extinction, global heating, growing inequality, eroding public institutions, financial instability, and the prospect of an increasingly unliveable planet. Countries must adopt proactive stances in order to prepare their citizens, their economies, and their policies for rapidly changing current and future circumstances. In turn, public institutions and policy makers have an obligation to inform and protect their citizens from threats to their health and well-being. As publicly funded centres, universities have the expertise and capacity, as well as responsibility, to deliver socially- and sustainably-conscious research.

Alberta is at a juncture with respect to visioning its future due to radical changes to the energy mix as well as rising social awareness of the severity of climate change. Rather than waiting on the periphery of such debates, the University of Calgary can play a leadership role, helping to pivot the province toward a more sustainable and equitable future.

In some regards, the University of Calgary has already adopted significant measures in responding to climate change. In signing onto the University and College Presidents’ Climate Change Statement of Action for Canada (CCSAC) in 2008, as well as in developing a specific Climate Action Plan in 2010 (renewed in 2019) (https://www.ucalgary.ca/sustainability/strategy/climate-action-plan), the University of Calgary has demonstrated its intention to be innovative and forward-thinking. In its Climate Action Plan, the University of Calgary details its intention to be a carbon neutral campus by 2050, an important measure and one that acts as a model for other institutions. As this document notes, “[b]etween 2019 and 2030 is a critical time for transformation action” (p. 4, UCalgary Climate Action Plan summary). As a signatory to the CCSAC, the university has also taken an important symbolic step that commits the university to actions that address climate change.

While we recognize such efforts by U Calgary to be a leader in sustainability in academic and engagement programs, we also see substantial room for growth and a scaling of ambition.

Research conducted into university policy and climate change across Canada (Henderson, Bieler, McKenzie, 2017) shows both the strength of measures already proposed by the University of Calgary, as well as potential areas for growth. Specifically, Henderson, Bieler, and McKenzie demonstrate that while institutional responses - including those at the University of Calgary - tend to focus on campus operations and infrastructure, universities across Canada tend to be remiss in addressing the climate crisis in four main areas: governance, education, research, and community outreach (p 12).

Using Henderson, Bieler, McKenzie as a model, we outline four pillars that we see as particularly relevant for strengthening UCalgary’s climate action. 

PILLAR 1: Governance

In developing a Climate Action Plan, the University of Calgary has shown commendable leadership; indeed, the plan helps establish the idea of a sustainable trajectory for the institution, one which can help UCalgary become a model for other publicly funded institutions. Yet, the Climate Action Plan depicts only a first step in addressing the crisis as it focuses solely on campus infrastructure and emissions. There is no mention of education, research or community outreach as key players for a climate action plan, a situation that can and should be remedied to maintain UCalgary’s leadership position in response to climate change.

While addressing the management of energy consumption and emissions is important, the University of Calgary must move beyond a focus on infrastructure and campus operations and recognize that climate change has significant impacts on social, cultural, economic and political arenas across the board. As such, the university should seize the opportunity to adopt rhetorical and ethical stances within governance documents, such as Strategic Plans, that prioritize climate change education, mitigation and adaptation in the areas of research, pedagogy and outreach.

One example of a governance initiative that can act as a model comes from Queen’s University, where their development of a Sustainability Strategic Framework has allowed the university to figure sustainable practices as a moral obligation; this document is premised on the idea that universities are ethical players who can actively address cultural assumptions that lead to ecological degradation. As it states in this framework:

At a basic level, sustainability refers to the survival of our planet and its life forms. The human community’s ability to support itself into the future has become contentious as evidence mounts that many current practices are unsustainable. As we witness the depletion of non-renewable resources, rising pollution levels, increasing global heating, and severe impacts on wildlife habitat and larger ecosystems (which are growing less diverse and/or degraded), we also witness the consequences of undermining conditions for healthy living—today and into the future. (QU, Sustainability Strategic Framework, 2010, p. 3)

University of Calgary can similarly adopt such an approach, taking a leadership role amongst universities in western Canada. While many are fearful of the changes that will take place in the coming decades, UCalgary can model an innovative approach. By investing in governance structures that take a holistic approach to the climate crisis as well as by prioritizing the crisis in its planning documents, UCalgary can demonstrate its capacity and wherewithal to assist society in its transition to a new normal.

PILLAR 2: Curriculum and Education

The University of Calgary has a particularly important role to play in terms of dissemination of information about climate change to its student body. As we are responsible for preparing students for a future on this planet, it is the university’s duty to offer evidence-based information that can outline likely impacts of climate change on individuals, society and the planet as a whole.

As such, the University of Calgary should take specific steps to incorporate climate change education across the curriculum. Many educators at UCalgary already offer courses that address climate change, but much more needs to be done to ensure that students across all faculties access such information.

The Climate Action Plan at the University of Saskatchewan (2012) offers one model for consideration. This plan includes the following institutional actions to address climate change education/curriculum:

1. Inventory of Climate-Change-Related Courses, Programs & Research

2. Climate Action Courses & Immersive Experiences

3. Campus Living Lab Program

4. Integration of Climate Change in Curriculum

5. Climate-Change Literacy Assessment

6. Climate Change Library Collections

7. Annual Sustainability Summit

(U of S Climate Action Plan, 2012, pp. 10–11)

Like at U of S, University of Calgary currently holds a sustainability summit, has a certificate in sustainability studies, and maintains an inventory of sustainability related courses. However, there are other practical and achievable steps that can be taken at UCalgary to address the deficit in climate change education. One potential action that is both achievable and impactful, for example, would be to include a climate change literacy workshop for all students, either in their first year at the university, or during the orientation. Yet, other substantial actions would also be warranted across the curriculum to address the gap in students’ climate literacy.

PILLAR 3: Research

The University of Calgary presently champions research that will help foster the transition to new energy futures. Much of this research focus has been directed towards engineering and physical sciences, or towards more conventional forms of social science that promote economic development.

Henderson, Bieler, and McKenzie (2017) note the potential for UCalgary’s leadership in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary climate change research when they state that the “University of Calgary (UC) highlights teaching and research developments across a variety of institutional subunits, ranging from environmental design and law to business and STEM-related programs (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)” (p. 17).

Evidence of such interdisciplinary research can be seen, for example, in the Calgary Institute for Humanities (CIH) working groups, but also in the list of research initiatives below:

• CIH working groups
  • Energy in Society (Petra Dolata)
  • Communicating around Climate Change (Melanie Kloetzel)
• Aerosols, Climate, Air Quality and Soil carbon dioxide sequestration (Ann-Lise Norman, NSERC)
• Public deliberation, environmental justice, impact and social assessments of emerging technologies (Gwendolyn Blue - SSHRC, Genome Canada)
• Site-based performance and climate change (Melanie Kloetzel - Canada Council for the Arts)
• Social work and social justice (Mishka Lysack)
• Alternative food systems (Marit Rosol - CRC, SSHRC)
• Economics and climate change (Trevor Tombe, Jennifer Winter)
• Alternative Energy production, distribution, life-cycle assessment (David Wood, Warren Piers, Joule Bergerson)
• Ecological systems and biodiversity (Paul Galpern, Ed Johnson, Mary Reid, Mathis Natvik)
• Hydrological research collaborations (John Pomeroy, Water Resources and Climate Change (UofS and BGS), Misaki Hayashi)
• Collaborative research across arts and sciences in the Anthropocene (Christine Brubaker, URGC)  

Yet, as critics such as the SSHRC-funded Corporate Mapping Project highlight, the University of Calgary has extensive ties with fossil fuel companies through research partnerships, corporate-sponsored scholarships and board members who are also executives for fossil fuel companies. Such connections can dampen transformative research initiatives and/or limit the extent to which University of Calgary could adopt climate change as a research priority.

The urgency of the crisis that is unfolding requires much more emphasis on transdisciplinary research across and within disciplines. While research into technological innovations is certainly helpful, such research is inherently limited and more attention needs to be given to connections across disciplines, including the ecological sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. By adopting such a transdisciplinary approach, U of C could position itself to foster responsible research and innovation that would benefit all areas of society, ensuring that ethical, social and even aesthetic angles be taken into consideration alongside technological and industrial developments.

Making climate research a cornerstone of the university’s Eyes High Strategy would be an important first step. This would demonstrate bold leadership and would position UCalgary as an institution that meets upcoming challenges with a forward-thinking approach. Both the City of Calgary and University of Calgary often cite the high academic achievements of the populace as well as the level-headed, innovative, and problem-solving attitudes that have been the drivers of success in the past. By applying such attitudes in combination with the research excellence at UCalgary, the university can act as a visionary with respect to the climate crisis.

Other Universities have bridged disciplinary boundaries in order to prioritize climate research. For some, this has resulted in significant gains in applying an interdisciplinary focus to the climate crisis. For example, University of Waterloo’s Institute for Sustainability and Water Institute as well as the Department of Knowledge Integration broach the problems of breadth within the climate crisis, highlighting the need to integrate research in the sciences, social sciences and the arts. University of Waterloo has also taken the important step of elevating this institute to a University Research Centre, ensuring that requisite funding gets channeled to critical research initiatives undertaken at the centre. The University of Alberta integrates our understanding of changing Arctic climate and hydrology. University of Victoria has a long-established Climate Justice network. Such models offer some solid initial steps, but it is certainly conceivable to envision UCalgary building on or developing its climate research agendas beyond such preliminary efforts and offering exceptional climate research leadership both across the disciplines and across the nation.

PILLAR 4: Communication & Community outreach

In their Climate Action Plan 2012–2016, the University of Winnipeg situates universities as responsible for catalyzing change within the larger society; it states that universities should be “bold enough to take risks” (p. 10) in order to show how others can be sustainability leaders. Henderson, Bieler, and McKenzie (2017) also highlight the University of Calgary’s Climate Action Plan for its stated intent to share information on best practices and leadership in relation to climate change with external media sources (p. 17).

While these are both admirable intentions and can certainly help encourage universities to function as innovators in relation to the climate crisis, the attitudinal premise is one that needs amending in order to demonstrate a more open, respectful and horizontal relationship between the university and other community stakeholders. As Henderson, Bieler, and McKenzie note, universities need to adopt a “more collaborative approach to community outreach within the institution in relation to climate change action” (p. 17). They point to University of Saskatchewan’s efforts to involve multiple stakeholders, including the City of Saskatoon as a formal partner, in tackling such action plans, but they also note that this is very unusual at the institutional level.

Certainly, some initial efforts have been made in the past year in relation to such diversification of communication and community outreach. The Office of Sustainability continues to search for new methods of communication, and the efforts by the FutureU group to partner with the Regeneration Society to launch the Moving Mountains Confluence (which, due to Covid, was postponed) were positive attempts to engage with the community in alternative (i.e. not top-down) ways. Individual faculty members also find methods for, among others, creating and sharing climate-related art projects, beginning climate-oriented community organizations, and embedding academic experts in various climate-focused municipal and/or community groups. Such efforts prioritize dialoguing directly with community members to explore best practices and policies, an endeavour that could use more support at the institutional level. By building on such initiatives and supporting others in this vein, UCalgary can offer a model of best practices for other institutions to emulate.

University Climate Action Plans

Queen’s University (2010). Sustainability Strategic Framework. Kingston, ON: Queen’s University.

University of Calgary (2010). Climate Action Plan. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary.

University of Saskatchewan (2012). Climate Action Plan. Saskatoon, SK: University of Saskatchewan.

University of Winnipeg (2012). Climate Action Plan 2012–2016. Winnipeg, MB: University of Winnipeg.

References

Corporate Mapping Project. Available at https://www.corporatemapping.ca/profiles/university-of-calgary/. Last accessed June 16, 2020. 

Henderson, J., Bieler, A.  McKenzie, M. 2016. Climate change and the Canadian higher education system: An institutional policy analysis. Canadian Journal of Higher Education 47 (1): 1 - 26.

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Climate Letter

Letter to the Editor (2019)

The following letter inviting the public to engage with faculty at Alberta Universities about climate was sent to 6 Alberta      Newspapers (Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Sun, Edmonton Sun, Lethbridge Herald, and Medicine Hat News) in August 2019.  Faculty, PDFs and Instructors who added their signatures are listed below.

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         An Open Invitation to Climate Dialogue

Much discussion has emerged recently regarding the link between climate change and human activity. As faculty members from across the province engaged in focused research, we feel that it is our responsibility to share our research and invite conversation about the impact of present and future human actions.

Collected evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates a destructive human footprint on Earth, with this footprint growing more impactful since the 1980s.

The ways we produce, consume, and dispose of resources – for transportation, trade, food, fashion, housing, and communication – are unsustainable. Our practices need to change if we want to ensure future well-being for both humans and other species.

Currently, thousands of researchers from all over the globe – including many here in Alberta – offer concepts and evidence that address current problems and propose viable solutions. Without question, this collected evidence demonstrates that our current practices put us all at substantial risk.  We urge dialogue and action that help us shift toward economic, lifestyle and democratic actions that foster long-term benefit for future generations. 

 

Ann-Lise Norman, Professor, Physics & Astronomy and Environmental Science, University of Calgary

Melanie Kloetzel, Associate Professor, School of Creative and Performing Arts (Dance), University of Calgary

Gwendolyn Blue, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

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Signatories from Faculty, Instructors and Postdoctoral Fellows at Alberta Universities

L. E. Adkin, Professor, Political Science and Environmental Studies, University of Alberta

B. Barton, Professor and Director, School of Creative and Performing Arts, University of Calgary

S. J. Birchall, Assistant Professor, School of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Alberta

V. I. Birss, FRSC, FECS, FCIC, CRC Chair, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

M. S. Boyce, Professor, Ecology and Alberta Conservation Association Chair in Fisheries & Wildlife, University of Alberta

B. Brown, Professor, Philosophy and Arts & Science, University of Lethbridge

J.-A. Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary

C. Brubaker, Assistant Professor, School of Creative and Performing Arts (Drama), University of Calgary

J. Buriak, Canada Research Chair, FRSC, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta

J. Byrne, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge

V. Campbell, Associate Professor, School of Creative and Performing Arts (Drama), University of Calgary

R. Cartar, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences Program, University of Calgary

T. Chivers, Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

R. Cocket, Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary

D. Davidson, Professor, Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta

P. Dolata, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Calgary

K. Du, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary

B. Else, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

E. Enkelmann, Assistant Professor, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

M. F. Forcier, Assistant Professor, School of Creative and Performing Arts (Dance), University of Calgary

J. Gailer, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

M. Gismondi, Professor, Sociology and Global Studies, Athabasca University

C. Gomes da Rocha, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Calgary

J. E. Greer, Professor, History of Art, Design and Visual Culture, Department of Art & Design, University of Alberta

R. Haluza-DeLay, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, The King’s University

L. L. Hanson, Associate Professor and Programme Coordinator, Environmental Studies, Athabasca University

A. Harlick, Instructor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Calgary

T. Harrison, Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Lethbridge

J. Heilman, Professor, Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta

B. Heyne, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

D. W. Hobill, Professor, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Calgary

M. Hogan, Assistant Professor Communication Media Film, University of Calgary

W. N. Holden, Associate Professor, Geography/Environmental Science Program, R.A. Canadian Institute of Resources Law, University of Calgary

S. Holman, Associate Professor, Journalism, Mount Royal University

G. Hvenegaard, Professor, Environmental Science and Geography, University of Alberta

L. Hynes, Assistant Professor, School of Creative and Performing Arts (Music), University of Calgary

 H. Jiskoot, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge

B. Karchewski, Instructor, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

S. J. Kenny, Assistant Professor, Faculties of Kinesiology and Arts (School of Creative and Performing Arts; Dance), University of Calgary.

N. Keough. Associate Professor. School of Architecture Planning and Landscape, University of Calgary

S. W. Kienzle, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Lethbridge

M. Kim, Professor, Science Education, University of Alberta 

G. Kits, Associate Professor, Economics, King’s University

S. Larter, Canada Research Chair, RFS, Associate VP Research, University of Calgary

D. Lawton, P. Geoph., FGC, Professor Emeritus of Geophysics, Department of Geoscience

University of Calgary

B. Lanoil, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta

S. Marshall, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

B. Miller, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

B. Moorman, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

A. Musgrove, Instructor, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

B. Nichols, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities, Mount Royal University

K. A. Peacock, Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Lethbridge

S. Peric, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary

W. Piers, Professor, FRSC, FCIC, FRSC (UK) Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

G.G. Pyle, Professor and CAIP Chair in Aquatic Health, Deptartment of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge

M. Reid, Professor, Biological Sciences (Ecology) & Environmental Science, University of Calgary

B. Robertson, Senior Instructor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

M. Rosol, Canada Research Chair, Associate Professor, Geography, University of Calgary

N. Russell, Instructor, Department of Sociology, University of Calgary

N. Sandblom, Senior Instructor, Natural Sciences Program, University of Calgary

M. Sharp, FRSC, Professor, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta

D. Shugar, Associate Professor, Director, Environmental Science Program, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

M. Stewart-Harawira, Professor,  Indigenous, Environmental and Global Studies, Faculty of Education,  Director, Traditional Medicine Council, Integrative Health Institute, University of Alberta

M. Strous, Professor, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary

I. Szeman Adjunct Professor English. University of Alberta (Full Professor, Waterloo)

S. Trudel, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Calgary

M. Truscello, Associate Professor, Department of English, Mount Royal University

M. Ullyot, Associate Professor, English, University of Calgary

J. R. Vokey, Professor, Psychology, University of Lethbridge

C. Williams, Professor, Department of Women & Gender Studies and Department of History, Director, Center for Oral History & Tradition, University of Lethbridge

S. Wilson, Professor & Associate Director Research, Sustainability Council, University of Alberta

J. Yackel, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Calgary

V. Zaremberg, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences Department, University of Calgary

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Hub Oil Explosion: Air Quality Measurements

The Hub Oil Refinery, an oil-recycling plant located on the east side of Calgary, Alberta and neighboring several residential communities caught fire on August 9, 1999.  The nearly vertical dispersion of the pollutant plume during the day reduced concern about adverse health effects.  However, later in the day and during the night, smoke from the fire was experienced at ground-level.  With quick action on the part of Andrew Gillespie and Jen MacLeod, two large-volume air samples were collected downwind of the fire.  Results for sulphur dioxide, aerosol sulphate, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for these two samples are discussed.   

Air Quality Downwind of Sour Gas Processing and Flaring

Residents of Alberta have expressed concern about air quality and how it is impacted downwind of gas processing and flaring activities. A study by 50 senior undergraduate Environmental Science students looked at air quality parameters and public perception with respect to sour gas emissions. This study reports the results of air quality measurements from two sites west of the city of Calgary, one of which was impacted by two known flaring events.

Air quality measurements over the past 20 years have focussed on urban environments. Little to no direct air quality measurements from flaring and processing activities has been available to the public.  An Alberta Environment showing much lower combustion efficiencies than was typically modelled for sweet and sour gas flares led to a detailed study of what is found in emissions west of the city of Calgary.

Impacts of Sour Gas Emissions on Southern Alberta

Sour gas processing in southwestern Alberta began with the development and discovery of oil and gas fields in the region in the 1940s and 50s. Sulphur emissions peaked in the mid-1980s with 55 tons of S/day were emitted from a single point source. Technological improvements since then have reduced emissions to a maximum of 5 tons S/day. However, the impact on the environment can be cumulative and the effects of prolonged exposure to S emissions have not been quantified. Thirty-four senior undergraduate students from the Environmental Science Class of 2003-2004 investigated the impact of sour gas emissions on media and public perception, vegetation, soils, surface and groundwaters and air quality. Air quality modeling using ISC3 with complex terrain was compared to measurements made by the students.