Thursday, April 24, 2025
The University of Toronto (U of T) is launching a new institute to leverage the university’s expertise in addressing the climate crisis across a diverse range of fields, helping drive the transition to a more sustainable and prosperous future by accelerating solutions that are practical, scalable and equitable.
Through a multidisciplinary approach, the Lawson Climate Institute will ramp up U of T’s capacity to advance the technologies and policies needed for Canada to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It will also empower students from any field of study to make climate action a priority, infusing them with a fundamental sense of optimism by focusing on positive and achievable gains in environmental and human well-being. U of T launched the Lawson Climate Institute on Earth Day (April 22), which aims to drive positive global action for the planet.
The institute is named in honour of Brian Lawson and Joannah Lawson, alumni and longtime supporters and volunteer leaders with the university, in recognition of their transformative $60-million donation to help establish the institute.
Their support represents the largest gift to a Canadian university in support of climate change solutions.
“The establishment of the Lawson Climate Institute is an incredibly exciting development,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “It will massively accelerate U of T’s global leadership in tackling this existential challenge through this historic investment in the next generation of sustainability leaders. On behalf of the University of Toronto, I want to thank Brian and Joannah Lawson for their inspiring commitment to this hopeful vision and their transformational generosity in making it a reality.”
The Lawson Climate Institute will have four areas of focus. It will harness U of T’s research, innovation and partnerships to:
- develop sustainability technologies;
- advance equitable climate policy solutions and sustainable finance opportunities;
- establish the Lawson Scholars program to help build a cadre of climate change leaders across a wide variety of industries; and expand the university’s Sustainable Pathways program to provide all undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in sustainability learning; and
- transform U of T’s campuses into living labs where students, faculty and industry partners can demonstrate novel and practical ways to create sustainable institutions.
The institute will mobilize U of T’s strengths in science, engineering, entrepreneurship, law, public policy, economics, business, sustainability and more. It will also tap into the university’s local, national and international networks and foster collaborations with governments, the private sector and other public-sector institutions to help translate research into real-world technologies and equitable, practical climate policies.
“The Lawson Climate Institute is a remarkable opportunity to enable and drive the energy transition,” said David Sinton, interim director of the Lawson Climate Institute, a professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and academic director of the Climate Positive Energy Initiative. “We are fortunate to have the full roster of disciplinary experts – covering everything from policy to technology – that is needed for this wildly complex challenge. This gift will allow our research efforts to effect change and enable students to launch the careers that will take them, and us, to 2050.”
U of T is known globally for its outstanding leadership on issues related to climate and environmental stewardship. Through the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, it has championed the role of universities in fighting climate change. U of T was also the first North American university to commit to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, acting as a model and inspiration for other institutions. As a result of these initiatives and many others, the QS World University Rankings named U of T the world’s most sustainable university two years in a row – making it a natural home for the Lawson Climate Institute.
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