The Future of Natural Infrastructure Across Canada's Prairies
Canada's Prairie provinces are facing a growing gap between the water infrastructure they have, the infrastructure they need, and the available resources to bridge that gap. Its ecosystems and communities are also increasingly feeling the impacts of floods, droughts, algal blooms, and a changing climate. Yet there are solutions that can be drawn from these same ecosystems—namely, the potential for nature to help meet these infrastructure needs and provide crucial ecological and societal benefits.
On Thursday, September 15, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (CST), the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) launched Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions (NIWS), a 5-year initiative to scale up natural infrastructure in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba for cleaner water and resilient communities.
Speakers included:
- Richard Florizone, President and CEO, IISD
- The Honourable Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament
- Dimple Roy, Director, Water Management, IISD
- A panel of high-level experts to be announced closer to the date.
The event looked at water needs on the Prairies, the widening infrastructure gap, and the unique benefits that natural infrastructure can bring. Speakers also described how to ensure that the case for more natural infrastructure is backed by evidence, adopted, financed, and built into policy, and how local municipalities can take part in this work. The event was held on Zoom, and the recording is available for viewing on IISD's YouTube Events channel and below.
Upcoming events
IGF 18th Annual General Meeting
This year’s event will focus on critical minerals for the energy transition. It will be held in-person on November 7–10, 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland.
IISD Sustainability Certificate Series
IISD is launching a new online workshop series for university students around the world on sustainable development, policy engagement, and green economies.
From Knowledge to Practice: Advancing Gender-Responsive Nature-Based Climate Solutions
A capacity-building session and community of practice event.
To Terminate or Not to Terminate Intra-Regional BITs: Lessons from different economic blocs
This webinar aims to draw lessons from different economic blocs exploring how they deal with existing bilateral investment treaties (BITs) once newer mega-regional or multilateral treaties come into force.