Water

Human activity—from pollutants to climate change—is threatening the health of our planet's precious freshwater resources.

That's where we come in.

Just as our fresh water flows across borders, our work stretches across nation and sectors.

IISD can influence how we manage fresh water like no other think tank on earth, because we create scientific understanding of fresh water at our very own freshwater science facility, which then informs the policy recommendations developed by our team of policy analysts.

In other words, we truly bridge science and policy.

First the science.

IISD Experimental Lakes Area is the world’s freshwater laboratory.

A series of 58 lakes and their watersheds in northwestern Ontario, Canada, IISD-ELA is the only place in the world where scientists can experiment on and manipulate real lakes to build a more accurate and complete picture of what human activity is doing to freshwater lakes. The findings from its over 50 years of ground-breaking research have rewritten environmental policy around the world—from mitigating algal blooms to reducing how much mercury gets into our waterways—and aim to keep fresh water clean around the world for generations to come.

Then comes the policy.

We then take those scientific findings, and develop policy and programming solutions for governments, civil society, and industry that protect and enhance the natural environment, keep our fresh water clean, while also improving socioeconomic well-being.

We conduct economic analyses and hydrologic assessments so that governments best understand all the options before making final decisions. And we support the management of watersheds across national boundaries, bringing all the relevant sectors and stakeholders to the table.

IISD Experimental Lakes Area

We are the world’s freshwater laboratory—the only place in the world where scientists can manipulate real lakes to understand what human activity does to fresh water.

This Is What Climate Change is Doing to our Fresh Water

Smaller fish. Darker lakes. Warmer air. We explore why these changes matter, and how we should go about tackling them.

The Water Brothers explore why scientists in Canada are filling a lake with plastics.

We invited the Water Brothers over to the lakes to explore why we are adding plastics to our lakes—all in the name of science.

INC-4 Is an Opportunity to Address Fresh Water Pollution – This is how

INC-4 is the fourth meeting in a series of international negotiations that aims to develop a global treaty on plastic pollution that could and should have big implications for freshwater quality both in Canada and beyond.

Insight

April 17, 2024

Let’s Talk About Natural Infrastructure…

Allow us to take you on a whirlwind tour of Pelly’s Lake in southern Manitoba, Canada, where the marvels of natural infrastructure are already being felt.

Speaking Each Other’s Language

When it comes to communicating the research findings of the world's freshwater laboratory, we need to speak to communities in their own languages. Literally.

Success story

January 19, 2021

Our work in the news

The Dangers of Cleaning Products We Don't Discuss - Newsweek

"While it is pleasing to see the culture of self-care taken so seriously, most people don't consider another angle to this phenomenon, and it is one that you might not expect."

90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastic levels – report - The Guardian

"About 90% of water samples taken over the last 10 years from the Great Lakes contain microplastic levels that are unsafe for wildlife, a new peer-reviewed paper from the University of Toronto finds."

Microplastics found in remote waters near Great Lakes in 'alarming' new study - FOX News

"By land, by sea, and now by air - microplastics are contaminating the world's most remote locations without the help of people."

Ottawa looking for Canadian-made solutions for plastic pollution - The Globe and Mail

“Our own work is showing how much of these plastics have gotten into even remote lakes like the ones at the Experimental Lakes Area. We’re saying, let’s try and tackle some of the issues in freshwater systems along with marine systems,” she said.