UK-Canada Climate Change Collaboration

Science Diplomacy in Action

What is Science Diplomacy?— From Climate Change to Global Pandemics, Energy Supply Chains to Quantum Technology the world is facing unprecedented changes on a scale never before seen in history. Science lies at the heart of this change, whether it be overcoming threats to our global population or unlocking opportunities to advance technology and boost economic growth. The UK and Canada are at the forefront. Our researchers and academics have led the way collaborating on vaccine research, hydrogen fuel standards and much more. Together we are stronger. Our shared research leads to a better world for us all. This is science diplomacy.

In this 3-part video series, we explore how the UK and Canada are working together in areas like climate change, global health, and tech & AI.

Below Professor Carole Mundell (Extragalactic Astronomy at the University of Bath) and Dr. Mona Nemer (Canada’s Chief Science Advisor) share how the UK and Canada are tackling one of the biggest threats to our generation– climate change.

DID YOU KNOW?

→ The UK and Canada have a history of working closely to tackle climate change and this accelerated in the lead up to COP26, hosted by the UK.

→ Our two countries have a strong foundation of international collaboration on climate change, with the establishment of the Powering Past Coal Alliance in 2017. This alliance now has 96 national and sub-national governments working to phase out coal and support clean power, a key objective of the COP26 climate conference.

→ The UK and Canada are also working to accelerate zero emission vehicle uptake and technologies, supporting developing countries with climate adaptation finance and have committed to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

→ There is a unique £8m partnership between the UK and Canadian Governments together with the ITK (Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami), and the Government of Québec to study impacts of  changing climate in coastal and near-shore marine environments in Inuit Nunangat.

Dr. Mona Nemer, C.M., C.Q., FRSC

Before becoming the Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Nemer was Professor and Vice-President of Research at the University of Ottawa and Director of the school’s Molecular Genetics and Cardiac Regeneration Laboratory. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from McGill University and did post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the Institut de Recherche Clinique de Montréal and Columbia University.

Professor Carole Mundell

Professor Carole Mundell was the Chief International Science Envoy at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office from January to October 2021. Previously Professor Mundell was Chief Scientific Adviser at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. She is Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy at the University of Bath where she holds the Hiroko Sherwin Chair in Extragalactic Astronomy, and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.