Concordia’s UNIVER/CITY 2030 gets recognized for its innovative approach to climate collaboration
Concordia’s UNIVER/CITY 2030 is turning collaboration into climate action — and the world is taking notice.
The initiative, which is connected to the Next-Generation Cities Institute, received an honourable mention in the Partnerships for Progress category at the 2024 International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) Excellence Awards. Each year, the ISCN recognizes sustainability achievements in higher education by presenting six awards — one winner and one honourable mention per category across three categories.
The Partnerships for Progress Award recognizes collaborations that reflect the ISCN’s commitment to engaging external partners, industry, government and civil society in sharing knowledge, research and best practices.
Jason Ens, executive director of academic policy, planning and strategic initiatives in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, explains that UNIVER/CITY 2030 was developed as a way to bridge an important gap related to climate action in Montreal.
“There’s broad agreement on the need for climate action, and clear, ambitious goals exist in initiatives like the Montreal Climate Plan 2020–2030. But turning those goals into coordinated action remains a challenge,” Ens says.
“UNIVER/CITY 2030 provides backbone infrastructure to help align and accelerate the work of a range of important stakeholders, including universities.”
A model for climate collaboration
The initiative is driving collaborative climate action in Montreal in three key ways.
First, under a mandate from the Montreal Climate Partnership, members of the UNIVER/CITY 2030 team are leading the development of a Climate Data Hub to enhance data-driven decision-making.
The hub promotes transparency in emissions reporting and provides a detailed overview of greenhouse gas emissions in the Greater Montreal area.
“By providing granular, high-quality data, the hub empowers governments, the private sector, civil society and academic researchers to develop targeted climate strategies,” Ens explains.
“It also strengthens organizational capacity for data management and facilitates collaborative solutions to reduce emissions and assess their impact.”
Second, UNIVER/CITY 2030 is supporting two project accelerators that help developers and building owners significantly reduce carbon emissions through building retrofits and climate-friendly new developments.
These accelerators — one of which is also connected to the Montreal Climate Partnership — bring together financers, utilities, municipal officials, non-profits and researchers to tackle challenges related to decarbonizing the city’s building stock.
Third, UNIVER/CITY 2030 has supported an initiative to map climate research capacity across Montreal’s universities and establish a climate research and development agenda for the city.
“Montreal has no shortage of great climate-related research, but real impact happens when that knowledge is aligned with policy and action,” Ens says, noting that this part of UNIVER/CITY 2030 is currently on pause as they explore new partnership opportunities.
Beyond these three core initiatives, UNIVER/CITY 2030 is also working to develop experiential learning opportunities that connect students and faculty with municipal officials and community members to collaborate on climate solutions — particularly through the City School platform.
Concordia’s broader climate leadership
UNIVER/CITY 2030 is just one piece of a much larger ecosystem of climate-focused initiatives at Concordia.
From the university’s Climate Action Plan and ambitious PLAN/NET ZERØ campus decarbonization initiative to transformative research efforts like Volt-Age and the Climate Business Institute at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia has emerged as a leader in urban sustainability and climate innovation.
Further reinforcing this leadership, Concordia President Graham Carr will serve as co-chair of the upcoming Montreal Climate Summit, bringing together municipal leaders, policymakers and researchers to advance collaborative climate solutions for the city and beyond.
“Turning knowledge into action — and ultimately economic benefits — requires strong connections between research, policy, industry and community,” Carr says. “Whatever challenges may arise, Concordia remains steadfast in our commitment to mobilize the full range of partners toward the common goal of creating a more sustainable future.”
Learn more about Concordia’s UNIVER/CITY 2030 and its impact on climate action.
