The Climate Project launches, delivering localized climate change research

Created by the Nuclear Innovation Institute, the Bruce Power-funded project is a living, trusted and accessible digital hub

The world is saturated in news and information about the perils of climate change. From a stream of scientific studies to daily climate change-related news, this global scale can make the issue less tangible—and often less urgent.

The Nuclear Innovation Institute, with funding from Bruce Power, has taken a small step to help localize climate change news and information. Yesterday, NII launched the Climate Project, a living, trusted and accessible digital hub providing actionable intelligence to help people better understand what a changing global climate could mean for where they live.

What do rising air temperatures mean for fish in Lake Huron? What new invasive species could move into Bruce Peninsula forests if conditions become warmer? How will the scale and frequency of heat waves, storms and other extreme weather events across the region evolve over time? And how do we assess these cumulative effects of development and climate changes on our local environment?

Launching the Climate Project through an NII “6 by 6” event, six speakers gave short six-minute Ted Talk-style presentations about their organization’s climate change-related work. (L-R) Jessica Linthorne – President & CEO, Nuclear Innovation Institute; Minnie Huang – Environment Technical Officer, Bruce Power; Andrew Barton – Senior Public Health Manager, Grey Bruce Health Unit; Danielle La Croix – Sr. Director of the Environment, Sustainability & Net Zero, Bruce Power and NII Board Member; Stephanie Keating – Director, Environment@NII; Katherine Balpataky – Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships, ALUS; Peter Zuzek – Coastal Geoscientist, Zuzek Inc.; Erin Gouthro – Watershed Ecologist, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority

The Climate Project aims to answer questions like these and more by gathering scientific research findings from qualified sources in academia, municipal, provincial and federal governments, conservation authorities, NGOs, industry partners and sources of local Indigenous knowledge.

Its purpose? To share the body of localized research and scientific knowledge on climate change pertaining to people in this region—those in Bruce, Grey, and Huron counties and local Indigenous communities—all located within the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory.

“Bruce Power is committed to environment protection and sustainability. We have been monitoring the environment in this region for decades, studying the real and potential effects of our operations, so that we can understand and mitigate potential impacts,” said Danielle La Croix, Sr. Director of the Environment, Sustainability & Net Zero, Bruce Power.

She added: “Through the Climate Project, we wanted to create a hub where information and Indigenous knowledge can be shared and discussed, and empower people to make decisions with clear, understandable and up-to-date information at their fingertips."

“Knowing how climate change affects our lives and local environments is critical for how we deal with it,” said Jessica Linthorne, President & CEO, Nuclear Innovation Institute. “This digital hub is a living site and we encourage other groups doing climate change research to get in touch as we continue to expand the project.”

Find out how climate change is affecting this region’s air, water and land at climateproject.ca.

Launch event guests share their thoughts on an interactive “Climate Threads” exhibit, helping visualize the impact of climate change on our communities.