New University of Victoria graduate program seeks to create climate leaders

A graduate training program that will prepare the next generation of climate leaders has been launched by the University of Victoria.

The Coastal Climate Solutions Leaders program was initiated to meet the required work force needed to meet climate change mitigation targets that have been set by world leaders to limit global warming.

It’s expected that tens of thousands of new climate jobs will be created in B.C. this decade, according to the university.

“Tomorrow’s climate leaders will need to understand the climate crisis broadly, including the on-ground challenges and opportunities for accelerating solutions,” said Julia Baum, a UVic biology professor.

“Our new program redefines how we train students by immersing them in highly interdisciplinary trainee cohorts and with people working to solve the climate crisis, so they understand the complexity of this challenge and develop the broad systems-thinking required to tackle it.”

Baum is known internationally for her work on climate change impacts on the oceans. She founded the program that will enroll masters and PhD students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, for the start of the next school year in September.

The new program will bring together science, engineering, social sciences and business to deliver integrative training on climate change, its impacts and adaption solutions.

“We want to show people that there are solutions,” said Baum. “We need them to engage and become part of implementing those solutions.”

Students in the program will gain real-world experience working with industries, government agencies and non-profits in B.C.

The extended forest fire seasons and the heat dome and severe flooding of 2021 are just a few examples of how climate change is taking a toll on the province, Baum says.

Baum’s goal with the program is to empower students to become climate leaders.

“It’s critical that we start taking action on climate change immediately,” said Baum.

“Every tenth of a degree of warming matters and so we need people who understand that and are ready to go out into the workforce with the goal of accelerating solutions.”

Initial enrollment for September will be for 20 students but Baum plans to grow the program to allow for more.

The program is funded by a $1.65-million grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and an additional $1.15 million from UVic.