Data for Good: McGill University

As Canada continues to invest in science and technology to help the country achieve its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Data for Good program and McGill University have joined forces to advance climate change research.

Recently, Honorable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced that up to $58 million from the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF) will be invested in 24 projects that will contribute to addressing critical greenhouse gas emissions data and knowledge gaps. The funded research will be led by 12 universities and one non-governmental organization with more than $4 million being invested in three McGill-led projects.

Urban Mobility and Emissions Management

Luis Miranda-Moreno is an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at McGill University and will be leading one of the three government funded projects. Professor Miranda-Moreno’s scientific and professional contributions span over 15 years with significant focus on sustainable urban mobility and road safety including emission modeling methods, the impact assessment of built environment and road design strategies on climate and road injuries, the strategies to promote non-motorized urban mobility and the integration of emerging technological solutions.

Professor Miranda-Moreno’s research collaboration with the Data for Good program will focus on improving understanding of how climate change impacts transportation and emissions in Canadian cities and advance knowledge on mobility and emissions management.

Natural Resources Canada estimates that passenger transportation is responsible for 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. When freight transportation is added, the figure rises to 36 percent. Without appropriate action, we will continue to see the impact of urban transportation on climate change. Professor Miranda-Moreno and his team are on a mission to change this through the development of novel methods for modeling and prediction of travel behavioral changes using large quantities of data from emerging sources and agent-based simulators.

The Data for Good program is proud to contribute its strongly de-identified and aggregated network mobility data to support a better understanding of the relationship between travel demand/human behavior, emissions and climate. Professor Miranda-Moreno and his team will create a framework that consists of urban-mobility agent-based simulations, emission models from field measurements, and downscaling climate projects for Canadian cities. The goal of this research is to develop decision-support tools for policymakers and field experts to evaluate the effectiveness of actions designed to reduce emissions. 

Climate change increasingly top of mind for Canadians

A recent survey by Angus Reid found that the majority of Canadians (63%) say that “climate change is a crisis that necessitates immediate action”. Furthermore, nine-in-ten (89%) say that climate change is a fact and mostly caused by human activities. Canada continues to face unprecedented climate-related weather events such as wildfires, floods, and extreme storms. The same survey found that Canadians across different mindsets believe that Government and businesses are primarily responsible for slowing climate change.

This essential research will provide clear, actionable recommendations that will contribute to a more sustainable future in Canada. As Professor Miranda-Moreno’s research progresses the Data for Good team will share further updates on key findings and strategies to mitigate climate change impacts across Canada.