McMaster opens Centre for Climate Change

Climate change and its impact on the Earth presents one of the most important challenges facing both Canada and the world in the coming years.

In order to better study its effects, McMaster is opening the new Centre for Climate Change today. The Centre, which will encompass four faculties and more than 20 professors and their students, will perform research in seven key areas:

"Until now, there hasn't been a forum to showcase the climate-related research going on across campus," said Altaf Arain, the Centre's director. "We will be at the forefront of the great work happening in this field."

The Centre will work to promote and facilitate education, research and collaboration between experts at McMaster and across Canada and the globe in order to study the Earth's climate and the impacts of climate change on the environment and human health.

"Our long-term goals are to achieve a better understanding of the functioning of Earth's climate system and to encourage the application of scientific knowledge for the sustainability of natural resources," said Arain. "Ultimately the goal is to improve the environment, human health and management of natural resources."

A kickoff event featuring guest speaker Gordon McBean, director of policy studies at the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and professor of geography and political science at the University of Western Ontario, will take place tonight at 7:00 p.m. in MDCL 1105. McBean will discuss "Climate Extremes and Canada's Security".