Climate Solutions Research

Project Mentors  

Astrida Neimanis, English and Cultural Studies, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies; Community, Culture and Global Studies, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Onyx Sloan Morgan, Community, Culture and Global Studies, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Naomi Klein, Geography, Faculty of Arts

Project Description 

This pilot project will scope strategies for tackling social and cultural polarization that prevents meaningful climate justice action, with a focus on creative and arts-led approaches. Increasing social, political and cultural polarization as a significant barrier for effective governance and effective policy implementation at all levels is becoming a notable topic of concern. This is particularly true for climate change and climate justice action, where commitment to environmental issues (and even science) is increasingly a partisan issue. Moreover, while First Nations communities are best positioned to offer meaningful climate justice solutions on their own Lands (see Armstrong 2023), colonial prejudices often amplify climate change polarization.  

This project is grounded in the conviction that climate justice’s central promise—sustainable and meaningful lives for all current and future generations—is desired by all communities, but action moving towards this is hampered by a lack of opportunities to explore commonalities across difference. It draws on the project leads’ diverse backgrounds researching and addressing polarization using methodologies and knowledge mobilization tools grounded in social scientific, humanities and arts-led practice. This project seeks to expand this community‐engaged work, specifically grounding it in syilx‐led climate justice principles on syilx‐land. As a settler‐scholar initiated project, it takes seriously the responsibility of settlers to take up this work in appropriate ways. 

Phase 1 of the project will scope the drivers and manifestations of social and cultural polarization, gathering research in sociology, anthropology, Indigenous studies, and adjacent disciplines. This review will also explore strategies and practices that seek to remedy polarization, with a particular focus on arts‐led practices. Phase 2 will develop an appropriate SSHRC Grant to be submitted in 2026. Phase 2 will include the coordination of conversation circles with syilx and other community partners to ensure that this research is done in accordance with syilx principles, and is appropriate for our context. It will also connect with relevant UBC researchers across both campuses to potentially expand the project team for the SSHRC application. 

Project Mentors

Jiaying Zhao, Psychology, Faculty of Arts; IRES, Faculty of Science
Rachel White, Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Faculty of Science

Project Description

The goal of this project is to examine the most effective ways to communicate climate change to mobilize climate mitigation and adaptation actions and policies. The rationale for this project is that there are many ways to communicate facts about climate change that are scientifically and statistically identical but may have different psychological impacts. For example, soon after the June 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave, newspaper headlines were full of the statement that this heatwave was ‘virtually impossible without climate change’. The scientific research these headlines came from found that anthropogenic climate change had made this heatwave 150 times more likely. Alternatively, based on the exact same climate science research, we can say that anthropogenic climate change made this heatwave 1.2C warmer. Whilst those with a deep understanding of generalized extreme value theory, and the large impacts of small mean changes on the probability of very rare events, can reconcile these two statements, we hypothesize that these two statements: ‘the heatwave was made 150 times more likely’ and ‘the heatwave was made 1.2C warmer’ do not carry the same psychological weight. The way climate change information is presented, particularly relating to extremes, may influence the way people engage with climate science information, and their willingness to take adaptive or mitigative behaviours.  

To test this idea, we designed a preliminary pilot study which showed that for statements that were statistically identical (i.e. based on the exact same change in climate) people found statements framed in a frequency sense (change in how often a heatwave occurs) more surprising than statements framed in a likelihood sense (change in how likely a heatwave is in any one year), which were more surprising than those framed in a temperature sense (change in the temperature of a heatwave with the given frequency). There was some indication of differences in the likelihood of taking climate action, but given the small sample size in the pilot study, these differences were only significant at p=0.1. We hypothesize that these differences will become more apparent in a larger, and better designed, pre‐registered study. In this project the climate solutions scholars would collaborate to design and implement a new, larger and more rigorous study, distributed online to engage people in climate adaptation and mitigation actions and policies. The results from this study will be analyzed to test our hypotheses, sheding light on how framing of climate change information can shape the response of the public . 

Project Mentors

Mohammad Shahrad, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science 
Ivan Beschastnikh, Computer Science, Faculty of Science 

Project Description

Data centres enable internet and cloud services and contribute over 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is more than the share of the aviation industry. With rising demand driven by AI and digitization, this share is projected to grow exponentially. Innovative solutions to curb emissions in this sector are critical to address our planet’s climate crisis. A key obstacle for innovation is a lack of high‐quality end‐to‐end GHG emissions data. Today, it is impossible to validate the carbon figures reported by cloud providers. This is because all actors in this ecosystem have incentives to under‐report emissions to appear sustainable. 

Building an end‐to‐end tracking system for storing emissions data is crucial, as modern distributed applications often use numerous services and operate across local infrastructure and/or one or more cloud domains. Lack of end‐to‐end data hampers GHG attribution to specific cloud users/apps. Resolving this drives measurable action from stakeholders: providers, developers, and end‐users. 

This project addresses this significant challenge by developing a tamper‐resistant decentralized GHG emission tracking framework. Our objective is to design custom blockchain‐based protocols and tracking methods that safeguard proprietary information of vendors while maintaining the integrity of emissions reporting. The decentralized nature of this system mitigates the potential for collusion among a minority of participants. Furthermore, this system will facilitate interoperability, enabling carbon tracking even when an application’s execution transitions between on‐premise and cloud environments or crosses multiple cloud platforms. 

Project Mentors

Ifeoma Adaji, Computer Science, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science 
Niyi Asiyanbi, Geography, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 

Project Description 

 Wildfires are an increasing threat due to climate change, and their frequency and intensity pose significant risks to communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Despite the availability of wildfire preparedness guidelines, many individuals remain unprepared due to lack of awareness, accessibility issues, and psychological barriers to proactive planning. This project will build on the foundation of the WISEC app which was designed to support wildfire preparedness in the city of Whistler, British Columbia using feedback from frontline fire management stakeholders. The proposed project aims to enhance WISEC's impact by integrating new features that address behavioral engagement, accessibility, and community resilience for all cities in BC. Additionally, we will develop a web‐based version of the application to expand accessibility and usability across devices. The proposed new version of the mobile app and the web application will be available to all cities in BC. 

This project seeks to: 

1.Expand accessibility by developing a web‐based version of the WISEC app to complement the mobile app, ensuring broader usability for different demographics, including those without smartphones. 

2. Integrate AI‐driven insights to the current mobile application to provide real‐time risk assessments, emergency alerts, and tailored recommendations based on user location and readiness level. 

3. Extend the use case of the app from Whistler to the rest of BC. 

Jon Corbett, Geography, Community, Culture and Global Studies, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Institute for Community‐Engaged Research 
Maged Senbel, School of Community and Regional Planning, Faculty of Applied Science
Mary Stockdale,  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Community, Culture and Global Studies; Institute for Community‐Engaged Research 

Project Description

Climate engagement must extend beyond progressive environmentalists to build a broad social mandate for action. Smaller rural communities are often overlooked in these efforts, despite their cumulative political impact. Vernon, BC (population 45 000), is home to strong and active support both for and against climate action. The two sides and their respective worldviews present very different narratives and assumptions about the role of institutions and scientific inquiry in society. It is a microcosm of similar intransigence occurring throughout Canada, the US and beyond.  

Studying the Vernon context through an interdisciplinary human geography and urban planning lens, which combines experience and expertise from diverse BC communities will be relevant to practitioners throughout the province.  Dr. Corbett has worked with community organizations throughout the North Okanagan while the director of UBC’s Institute for Community Engaged Research; he brings a well‐established network and expertise in community‐based research methods to the project. Dr. Senbel’s work in community and conflict engagement, and in climate action visualizations with communities throughout BC will bring an understanding of urban planning trade‐offs. Dr. Stockdale has extensive experience in advancing climate action through founding Climate Action Now!, supporting the development of Vernon's award‐winning Climate Action Plan (CAP), and training 30 climate ambassadors in Vernon to engage with 1000 community members.   

Learning from the UK’s more than 30 Climate Emergency Centres, the proposed work will lay the foundation for a Vernon Climate Engagement Centre (CEC). Drs. Corbett and Stockdale have visited 2 CECs and spoken with the CEC Network Coordinator. 

Transitioning to smaller scale and diversified farming systems has been proposed as a climate solution, but the relationship between farm size, farming practices and greenhouse gas emissions is not well quantified. With the ultimate objective of informing farmers of tools that can support on-farm climate mitigation and sustainability efforts, this team evaluated and compared several emissions models and calculators for use by small farms.  

The Scholars began by working on developing PyHolos, a Python-based agricultural emissions calculator designed to suit small, diversified farms adapted from the Canadian-based calculator Holos. They then contrasted its performance with that of other mainstream emissions calculators (Comet and Cool Farm), and evaluated the challenges and opportunities presented by these calculators. Finally, they compared PyHolos-estimated emissions with on-farm emissions measurements, using data from the UBC Farm and a research farm in Alberta. 

In addition to a final report, the Solutions Scholars produced two research briefs to provide tangible support for on-farm management decisions.  The first provides guidance on “Improving the Bottom Line Through Climate Friendly Nitrogen Application” and the second explores “4R Nutrient Stewardship to Reduce Nitrogen Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, While Improving Farm Profitability”.  

“Our goal is to reduce the burden of data entry with 'one entry - many uses' data management, representing a promising step towards inclusive and sustainable agriculture.”  Solutions Scholar, 2024/2025

Resources

Estimating Emissions from Small-Scale Diversified Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities - Final Report Prepared in June 2025
Improving the Bottom Line Through Climate Friendly Nitrogen Application - Research Brief Prepared in June 2025
4R Nutrient Stewardship to Reduce Nitrogen Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, While Improving Farm Profitability - Research Brief Prepared in June 2025
Unravelling Emissions Calculators for Small-Scale, Diversified Farms - Poster Prepared for April 2025 Solutions Summit

While carbon offsets are seen by industry as cost-saving and by governments as flexible regulatory tools, reforms are needed to improve transparency, strengthen benchmarks, and harmonize systems across jurisdictions. In this exploratory research project, the Scholars worked on three interconnected research projects combined to provide critical analysis and insights on the use of carbon offsets in the Canadian context. The ultimate objective was to work with the mentors to develop future research projects and multistakeholder dialogues on the future of carbon offsets, particularly in British Columbia where forest-based projects face criticism over their effectiveness and permanence. 

In addition to kickstarting a wider conversation around carbon offsets within the mentor group, the Solutions Scholars also organized an interactive workshop at the Institute for Society and Natural Resources Conference, a large multidisciplinary conference held in Vancouver. Their session was well attended with high engagement and was mentioned in the Opening Plenary Session. One Solutions Scholar was selected for an internship in carbon markets analysis after a prospective employer saw the presentation at the Solutions Scholars Summit event in April 2025. The team engaged in further knowledge extension through publication of a think piece on Medium discussing some of their findings; another second commentary is under development and will be published in the coming months. 

"Our cross-disciplinary team of faculty and students worked together to uncover the reality behind the controversy on carbon offsets and explored their future in British Columbia and around the world."  Solutions Scholar, 2024/2025

Resources

Canada’s Carbon Offset Projects Probably Don’t Offset Carbon. What Could Replace Them? - Opinion Piece July 2025
Carbon Offsets: A Just Path Toward Climate Action or Sustainability Illusion? - Workshop Presentation June 2025
Carbon Offsets: Climate Action or Sustainability Illusion? - Poster Prepared for April 2025 Solutions Summit