The launch of a new institute at the University of Guelph will enable researchers from all disciplines to tackle the world’s environmental problems through innovation and interdisciplinary collaborations.

The Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (GIER) will build on the University’s expertise in the environment and sustainability by bringing together researchers from all U of G disciplines, from business and engineering to fine arts and biology.

The institute will help researchers learn about and capitalize on other members’ diverse insights, experiences and skills. Lang economics professor, Ross McKitrick, will serve on the GIER Governance Committee, bringing his research expertise in environmental and applied microeconomics.

McKitrick’s main research interest is environmental economics and is currently working on projects relating to state-contingent environmental policy, econometric methods for measuring global warming, and evaluation of climate models.

He has published in journals such as the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Geophysical Research Letters, Energy Journal, Empirical Economics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Canadian Journal of Economics.

In total, 200 faculty members will be involved with the new institute. Some of the challenges researchers will tackle range from climate change, access to clean safe water and food, invasive species and disease, and threats to biodiversity, just to name a few.

More information on GIER can be found on the University of Guelph’s official release [1].