The rapidly accelerating impact of the global climate emergency on our communities and the planet necessitates bold and urgent action in developing collaborative new solutions for a more sustainable world.

Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are developing transformational technologies and pioneering innovative solutions to address some of the most pressing challenges brought on by climate change. These challenges are multi-faceted and require a comprehensive suite of multi-disciplinary solutions and approaches to support a more sustainable tomorrow.

Many of our activities, from the energy we use to heat our homes to how we process our wastewater to how we grow our food, create greenhouse gas emissions that add to the pressures on our environment. Through collaboration with researchers, industry and government, we can find novel ways to evolve these systems, addressing today’s challenges while anticipating the needs of tomorrow. Across the university, TMU’s researchers are developing and adapting technologies to help create a future that is sustainable, equitable and inclusive.

One significant contributor to greenhouse gases worldwide is also one of the critical pieces of modern infrastructure – wastewater management. In this first-of-its-kind project, Dr. Elsayed Elbeshbishy is taking a comprehensive approach to monitoring these emissions using a combination of methods, from computer simulations to drone sensors to satellite imaging, to create the tools needed to design improved wastewater systems that can be implemented around the globe.

Another major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is the energy used to operate our homes, offices and other buildings. As we seek to decarbonize this framework, the use of digital infrastructure can offer us vital insights to enhance efficiency. At the Smart Campus Integration and Testing Hub, which broke ground earlier this year, Dr. Jenn McArthur, along with industry collaborators, will work from the world’s first fully digitally-enabled building to optimize energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint of the places where we live and work.

As we build the energy infrastructure of the future, sustainability encompasses more than clean energy sources. Dr. Reza Arani, Canada Research Chair in Smart Grid Cyber-Physical Security, is at the forefront of ensuring the smart power grids we are building are both robust and secure. His work on the resiliency of cyber-enabled power grids is developing new tools to evaluate and optimize technologies to ensure the digital and physical protection of this critical infrastructure.

Traditional forms of agriculture in Canada are vulnerable to environmental factors and can have a considerable impact on the planet. Dr. Habiba Bougherara and Dr. Lesley Campbell are combining their expertise in engineering and biology to address the environmental impacts and efficiencies of food production with their revolutionary indoor vertical farming project developed at TMU. This sustainable growing method allows for year-round food production and the management of the growing environment through technology. It offers a scalable solution that has minimal impact on our planet and the potential to revolutionize how we grow our food.

Technology such as autonomous and connected vehicles or networks of traffic sensors are poised to change the world of transportation. As the next generation of mobility solutions becomes road-worthy, Dr. Bilal Farooq, the Canada Research Chair in Disruptive Transportation Technologies and Services, and his team are driving forward greener answers to our traffic challenges. Through research into topics such as distributed traffic management systems, they are demonstrating how autonomous vehicles can be routed to reduce both emissions and travel time.

As shifts in our global landscape continue to present new obstacles and challenges, TMU researchers are advancing solutions and leading the way toward a more sustainable world. By reaching across disciplines, institutions, industries and borders, they are creating the transformational changes needed for the resilient communities of tomorrow.