It has been an exhilarating first year at the Lawson Climate Institute, fueled by the historic investment from the Brian & Joannah Lawson Family Foundation.

We are an institute in a hurry.  We’ve launched programs in all pillars (Sustainable Innovation and Technology, Climate Policy and Sustainable Finance, Leaders for a Sustainable Future, and Campus as a Living Lab). We have built a community of Lawson Scholars, are hiring for three Lawson-endowed chairs, and have kicked-off foundational educational programming with the Lawson Course on the Power Source. We have funded a food digester system as a living lab at the U of T Scarborough campus and a Climate Finance Research Hub.  We have launched research projects in the politics of decarbonization, grid modernization, and electrified mining.

This great start was made possible by integrating the exceptionally talented staff team of our former institute, Climate Positive Energy, to be the Lawson Climate Institute core staff. We are also privileged to draw on the leadership of Professor Kenneth Corts as Academic Lead for Policy and Sustainable Finance, and the deep expertise of the Expert Advisory Committee as we scale our impact.

Looking ahead, we are formalizing and expanding our programming in lockstep with research, grant and scholarship offices across all three campuses. Our mission is to combine and catalyze U of T’s strengths, and foster collaboration with government, the private sector and public-sector institutions, in translating solutions-oriented research into sustainable technologies and equitable, practical climate policies. The tent is big and the challenge is huge – as is the opportunity presented by the Lawson Climate Institute.  I am honoured to lead it.  

Dave Sinton
Interim Director, Lawson Climate Institute