Developing sustainable solutions

How can we promote human well-being while protecting the planet for future generations? That’s the challenge of sustainability, and McGill researchers are working across disciplines to find solutions.

What’s new

The latest from McGill researchers and innovators.

Microplastics are harming gut health

Microplastic pollution is altering the gut microbiomes of wild seabirds, and humans should be wary too.

A spread of nuts, grains, beans, meat, and cheese placed on a wooden board

Small dietary changes can cut your carbon footprint by 25%

McGill researchers find evidence that partially replacing red and processed meat with plant protein foods can increase lifespan and mitigate climate change.

What areas should Canada protect to save species at risk of extinction?

If protected areas are put in the right places, protecting a small fraction of Canadian land could protect habitat for many at risk species.

Tastes differ – even among North Atlantic killer whales

Detailed overview of orca diets provides insight into potential impacts on Arctic food webs.

Sustaining biodiversity

How can we best protect nature’s gifts for future generations, even as the world’s population and demand for resources swell?

A second chance to protect wetlands

Study highlights regions with high wetland loss over past 300 years.

Cities becoming ‘the fulcrum for how we manage biodiversity’

McGill professor Andrew Gonzalez discusses how cities can help protect nature and human health.

Stemming the tide of invasive species in the Great Lakes

Binational regulation of ballast water has reduced invasion risk by 85% since 2008.

Towards reducing biodiversity loss in fragmented habitats

How well species can move among habitat ‘islands’ in human transformed landscapes is key to their survival, study finds.

Confronting the climate crisis

From the Arctic tundra to the tropics, McGill researchers are uncovering the effects of climate change and exploring ways to build a more sustainable future.

Advocate for a Better Anthropocene

Elena Bennett wants you to imagine a radical, inspiring, and realistic future for our planet

Sea level rise: rapid, unstoppable unless Paris Agreement targets met

Ambitious action is needed by 2060 to rein in melting of Antarctic ice sheet.

No 'Safe Space' for 12 key ocean species on North American West Coast

Climate-induced changes endanger the future of coastal ecosystems.

Significant reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions still possible

Use of various mitigation techniques for natural gas fired electricity may hold key.

A greener economy

Experts from a wide range of fields are teaming up to find ways our economy can be steered onto a more sustainable path, through policy, product design, and more.

Building a better future, one CMU at a time

McGill spinoff CarbiCrete has developed a formula for producing concrete blocks that sequester carbon in their manufacture.

Support for research in carbon-free energy storage and conversion

New McGill centre will boost research capacity and facilitate technology transfer.

Electrifying truck fleets

McGill Engineering researchers partner with industry to power a greener transportation sector.

“The defining challenge of our time”

McGill’s Alternative Fuels Lab explores metal powders as a recyclable, clean energy alternative to fossil fuels.

A greener campus

McGill’s efforts to make its campuses more sustainable have earned kudos from international environmental groups. The Sustainability Projects Fund — supported by a student fee that is matched by the University – provides seed funding for projects that foster a culture of sustainability.

Building a culture of sustainability

Students play a big role in making McGill’s campuses greener and more sustainable.

Sustainable sparks: forming community roots

Explore the campus through the eyes of McGill’s downtown Horticultural Supervisor Eric Champagne.

New research pavilion to boost understanding of extreme weather events

Gault Nature Reserve facility will help connect seven research stations throughout the Saint Lawrence River Valley.

The New Vic: Saving the planet by breaking down silos

McGill is seizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand its downtown campus with a research and learning centre for sustainability systems and public policy.