Climate change

The story of North American forests is one of resilience, adaptation, renewal and hope.

January 2024

If you hike or stroll through one of Canada’s northern forests, you might experience a world of towering trees, cool shade filled with the scent of pines and spruces — home to many different plants and animals of all shapes and sizes. But Ellen Whitman, a wildfire research scientist at the Canadian Forest Service, sees things through a different lens. What she notices is a landscape quietly and gradually transforming.

With scientists predicting major water shortages in less than 10 years, we need to make smart choices today about how to use and protect our water resources.

In Canada’s Arctic, where communities are experiencing the effects of a changing climate, there’s a rising sense of urgency. So — as fluctuating water levels start to impact daily life in the Mackenzie Delta region — a unique partnership was created to investigate further.

CABER laboratories is part of a brand new facility specifically designed to test building envelopes — all the components of a building that separate the indoors from the outdoors. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Carleton University are working together to explore ways to build buildings that are better, healthier and more resilient to climate change. Join us as we tour the facility with NRCan’s Alex Ferguson and Carleton’s Cynthia Cruickshank and Christopher Baldwin, as well as Carleton students Tait Seguin and Calene Baylis.