As part of Quebec’s strategy for research and investment in innovation (SQRI2) 2022-2027, the Government of Quebec has earmarked additional funding for Ouranos to consolidate the organization and stimulate research and innovation in climate change adaptation. The investment of $4.95M will bolster the organization’s activities over the next three years while helping to effectively meet increasingly urgent needs at a time when the observable impacts of climate change are on the rise.
“Although achieving carbon neutrality will help us mitigate climate change, the latter is, to a certain extent, inevitable. In Quebec, we will see regional changes that can reach 7 or 8°C according to the most pessimistic scenarios. The myriad impacts, which can already be observed and which will continue to grow in magnitude, will have consequences on the built environment, economic activities, the health and safety of Quebec citizens and the quality of our ecosystems.
The financial support being granted to Ouranos by the Government of Quebec will help consolidate our research actions for the acquisition and development of knowledge as to how the climate is evolving. Our work will foster new ways of doing things while facilitating well-informed decisions to reduce the impact of climate change in Quebec.”
- Alain Bourque, executive director, Ouranos.
Two months after the publication of the IPCC’s most recent report confirming that even the most optimistic climate scenarios are forecasting temperatures to rise through 2050, Ouranos and its work have become all the more relevant. It is recalled that the science developed by the consortium aims to support Quebec decision-makers in their orientations in the context of the new climate reality and the impact these changes are bringing to the public, to infrastructure, to the economy and to the natural environment.
As a hub for innovation and a centre of cooperation that supports Quebec society in its effort to better adapt to an evolving climate, Ouranos is prepared to pursue its mission and expand collaboration with its numerous partners under the organization’s trademark multidisciplinary approach. With a scientific program comprising eight adaptation priorities as well as a climate science and climate services strategy, the organization intends to generate over the next few years research results that are relevant, credible, rigorously developed and delivered in an effective and accessible manner, in addition to proposing innovative adaptation solutions.
About Ouranos
Created in 2001, Ouranos was born out of the shared vision of the Government of Quebec, Hydro-Québec and Environment Canada, with the financial support of Valorisation-Recherche-Québec. Drawing from a network of approximately 450 researchers and professionals from a variety of disciplines, the consortium focuses on climate science and related vulnerabilities, impacts and adaptation. The organization strives to acquire and develop knowledge on climate change and its impacts as well as relevant socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities to inform policymakers on climate trends and advise them on identifying, evaluating, promoting and implementing local and regional adaptation strategies.
