A Climate Action Plan for the University of Alberta

It’s long overdue.

More than any other institution in civil society, it is incumbent upon universities to demonstrate leadership in response to the knowledge produced by scholars in all disciplines concerning global warming. If universities fail to demonstrate respect for this knowledge, why should other civil society actors, or governments? If universities subordinate their mandate to seek out and reveal “whatsoever things be true” to fulfill the expectations of private funders or those of governments, then they have failed to serve the public good; they have relinquished a leadership role that is foundational to democracy.

The University of Alberta’s own strategic plan, entitled “For the Public Good,” asserted that “we strive to model sustainability as an integral part of university life, recognizing that the health and well-being of our people are tied to the health and well-being of our environment, economy, and social systems.” Since its founding, the university’s mandate has been to “uplift the whole people.” This is, indeed, the proper mission of a public university—to devote its resources to serving the public good. This takes the form not only of educating citizens, but of working with citizens to solve urgent societal problems.

A climate action plan for the University of Alberta must be more than an investment in producing data for university sustainability rankings.

It must be more than a set of targets to reduce energy consumption or materials waste or an aspiration to achieving a “net zero carbon footprint by 2050.” And it must be more than a token recognition of “the challenge of climate change” that does little to disrupt the status quo of research and teaching.

The CAUA’s Climate Action Plan sets out the principles that we believe must guide the university’s responses to the climate crisis. It identifies the actions that will be consistent with these principles, and the changes to our governance institutions that will be necessary to fully involve, engage, and mobilize not only students, faculty, and staff but also our communities in a plan of action.

Read the plan here:

Endorsements for our Climate Action Plan

  • Timm Döbert

    Former UAlberta Postdoctoral Fellow, currently UofA Visiting Scientist, PhD in Global Change Ecology

  • Kara Ewert

    Co-President of the Renewable Energy Design Club, University of Alberta

  • Lynette Shultz

    Professor, Faculty of Education

  • Kyla Tienhaara

    Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Economy and Environment, Queen's University

  • Jared Blusteinm

    Executive Director for the Calgary Climate Hub and co-founder of the Allium Restaurant (worker cooperative) in Calgary

  • Seyed Hossein Rasaei

    Graduate Student, KSR Faculty, University of Alberta

  • Andreas Hamann

    Professor, Renewable Resources, Faculty of ALES, University of Alberta

  • Wayne Crosby

    Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, Land Use Planning, Government of British Columbia, and UAlberta alumnus

  • Joseph Vipond

    MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Past President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

  • Hannah Bayne

    Graduate Student in the School of Public Health, UAlberta

  • David Kahane

    Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Alberta. Former Principal Investigator, Alberta Climate Dialogue

  • Mark S. Boyce

    Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta

  • Michael Janz

    City of Edmonton Councillor for Ward Papastew; UAlberta alumnus (BA, MA)

  • Ken Caine

    Assoc. Professor of Sociology, University of Alberta

  • David Cooper

    Professor Emeritus of Accounting at the University of Alberta and Board member of Alberta Liabilities Disclosure Project

  • Judith Garber

    Professor Emerita of Political Science, University of Alberta

  • Sara Dorow

    Professor of Sociology and Director of the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta

  • Jake Lowe

    Executive Director and Co-Founder of Campus Climate Network

  • Imre Szeman

    Director, Institute for Environment, Conservation and Sustainability, University of Toronto Scarborough. 2021-22 Climate Critic for the Green Party of Canada

  • Michael Gismondi

    Professor Emeritus, Athabasca University, Co-founder of the Synergia Institute, and Chair of the Regional Municipal Climate Change Committee, Athabasca Alberta

  • Robert Ascah

    Political economist, UAlberta alumnus, Research Fellow at the Parkland Institute, and Principal, Abpolecon.ca

  • Emily Eaton

    Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Regina with a PhD in Geography from the University of Toronto.

  • Jean Renouf

    Founder and Chair of charity Plan C, CEO of Safer Future, a firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW, and a former university lecturer

  • Edmonton Youth for Climate

    A grassroots youth organization whose mission is to educate, engage, and empower all people in the Edmonton area to take action on climate change.

  • For Our Kids Alberta

    Parents across Alberta advocating for climate action and justice in our communities, as well as at the provincial and national levels. 

  • Christine Hoicka

    Canada Research Chair in Urban Planning for Climate Change, Director of the Re-Imagining, Social Energy Transitions (ReSET) CoLaboratory, Associate Professor in Geography and Civil Engineering at University of Victoria.

  • Jennie Stephens

    Professor of Climate Justice at the ICARUS Climate Research Centre at the National University of Ireland Maynooth

  • University of Alberta Climate Advocacy Club

    We are a student-led group that focuses on raising awareness about climate change and advocating for action both on campus in the broader community

  • Don Carmichael

    Professor Emeritus, Political Science, UAlberta, and Adjunct Professor (Philosophy) UAlberta

  • Stan Houston

    MD FRCPC. Professor emeritus, Medicine and Public Health, University of Alberta

  • Angela Carter

    Canada Research Chair in Equitable Energy Governance and Public Policy and Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Memorial University, and Senior Associate, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

  • Elizabeth Halpenny

    Professor in Recreation Studies at the University of Alberta. Sustainability and biodiversity conservation content expert

  • Alexandre Da Costa

    Associate Professor, Social Justice and International Studies in Education, University of Alberta

  • Adam Wellstead

    Ph.D., Professor of Public Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences, Michigan Technical University and UAlberta alumnus

  • Lorelei Hanson

    Assoc. Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Bachelor of Environmental Studies, Athabasca University, and UAlberta alumna

  • Michael Truscello

    Associate Professor, English and General Education, Mount Royal University, Calgary

  • Rezvaneh Erfani

    PhD Candidate, Sociology, University of Alberta

  • Daniel Dumas

    Phd candidate, Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich

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