Daughter and mother looking through binoculars at a river bank

You are helping to protect our precious fresh water.

The world’s fresh water is under serious threat from pollution, climate change, growing populations, and competition over resources. Researchers at IISD Experimental Lakes Area are currently studying the effects of oil spills, prescription drugs, cannabis, and plastics on our lakes and rivers.

Your philanthropy allows us to expand our research to keep tackling emerging threats to one of the most essential elements we need to survive: fresh water.  

overhead shot of oil spill enclosure at an ELA lake
Researchers at the world's freshwater laboratory are experimenting on real lakes to discover the impact of oil spills on fresh water—and how best to clean them up

You are helping communities secure their future in a changing climate. 

Because of donors like you and other key funders, IISD works with countries that contribute the least to global emissions but are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. 

Governments rely on national adaptation plans to make their communities, ecosystems, and economies more resilient to the impacts of climate change. We are helping them develop and implement plans to build a more secure future. So far, we’ve connected over 1,200 participants from more than 140 countries. Together, we can do so much more for the citizens of these vulnerable communities.