Community-centred climate innovation
Simon Fraser University is working with our local and global partners—and looking for new collaborators—to co-develop and successfully implement transformative policy solutions and cleantech innovations that meet the region-specific needs of people and their communities and enable economic opportunities.
community-centred climate innovation
SFU is leading the way in community-centred climate innovation (C3I). We take a community-first approach to engage with partners, co-develop and co-implement innovative solutions to address climate change.
As patterns of temperature and precipitation change over time, impacts are projected to grow in frequency and severity, resulting in climate hazards that will affect most Canadians. Communities will be challenged to adapt to the changing climate, while simultaneously reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in-line with the country’s net-zero emissions by 2050 targets.
SFU and our partners are working on climate-related innovations to reflect and respond to community needs. C3I foregrounds intersectional, place-based analyses and new technologies to empower communities to understand, prepare for and recover from climate-related threats.
Co-Creating With Communities
Our Canadian communities are being forever altered by climate change. Extreme flooding, devastating wildfires and droughts affecting many communities are recent examples. As a global leader in sustainability, SFU brings world-class research into close contact with community in order to support their climate adaptation, mitigation and long-term sustainability goals using a low carbon resiliency (LCR) lens. Three foundational approaches that inform our research are: community partnerships; innovation; and valuing of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives.
SFU is recognized as a leader in global sustainability
SFU’s international sustainability strengths include:
- Climate resiliency and adaptation research;
- Sustainable policy development;
- Clean energy innovation;
- Informing net zero transition for industry; and
- Community engagement with a deep commitment to Indigenous knowledges and practices.
How We Help
Community Focused
We are helping communities reduce their risks and vulnerabilities to climate change impacts over time, and move towards net-zero carbon goals, while advancing priorities such as equity, biodiversity, and socially and environmentally sustainable economic development.
Leverage SFU Expertise
Our community partners can leverage our expertise and capacities to develop climate change solutions that meet their specific needs. SFU is providing local communities with the expertise and capacity to develop bottom-up, community-based solutions and innovations to address the impacts of climate change.
Impactful Partners
While local communities are our main partners, SFU has an extensive list of national and international collaborators.
Partner With Us
With SFU’s expertise, strengths and capacity, we can help Canada further establish itself as a global leader in climate action and achieve Canada’s net-zero emissions goal by 2050.