ENVIRONMENT
You may not realize it, but Quebec universities are an important part of our daily lives and contribute in a very concrete way to our quality of life and the quality of our environment.
Here are some examples…
- Shore erosion will unfortunately have an increasing impact on coastal populations and facilities. A new research chair in coastal geoscience will throw more light on the impacts of erosion along Quebec’s sea coasts. An entire team of geography professors and students at a Quebec university will focus on improving understanding of these geophysical phenomena and recommending solutions for existing problems.
- How can you determine the weight of all the trees in Québec? Weigh the forests? This is an important question relating to the forest’s role in managing carbon emissions and in the battle against global warming. Researchers at a Quebec university recently developed a tool that uses satellite data to quickly and efficiently estimate the abundance and distribution of forest biomass in vast areas. Tested on the entire Province of Quebec, their methodology reveals that the biomass in Quebec’s forests is 4.9 billion tonnes, which, in terms of carbon content, is equal to 54 times Quebec‘s emissions in 2005 and about one third of global emissions in 2004.
- Two Québec researchers have been breaking with tradition – using a widely available, non-toxic solvent: water, instead of toxic solvents. Along with a professor from Sweden's University of Lund, they are developing techniques to ensure that in the future we will be making useful chemicals, and not waste.
- Are you concerned about tap water quality? A research centre that develops and tests water treatment technologies and processes was founded in 2003 by a collaboration of five Quebec universities. Its technology platform is unique in Canada and is used to test and approve most water treatment technologies, both in the laboratory and on a semi-industrial pilot test bench. With state-of-the-art equipment, Quebec researchers are able to study emerging water quality problems and test technological innovations in the field.
- Global warming = higher mortality rate in Quebec? If nothing changes, global warming may increase the summer mortality rate in some of Quebec’s cities in the coming decades. Statistical simulations by researchers at a Quebec university for the cities of Montreal, Quebec City and Saguenay reveal that if the most cautious forecasts of global warming become reality, the summer mortality rates in these three cities will be about 2% higher in 2020 and 10% higher in 2080.
- How can we minimize the impact of our activities on the environment? How can we promote investments in less harmful technologies or the use of renewable energies? An environmental advisor analyzes an overall problem related to natural resources management and suggests local solutions that take social realities into account. To train these environmental advisors, a Quebec university has created the first environmental consulting research chair in North America.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, jointly with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, for their work on collecting and circulating knowledge about climate change and laying the foundations for the measures necessary to fight these changes. One Quebecer, René Laprise, is a member of the IPCC. He is a professor at one of our universities and was one of the principal authors of the 4th IPCC Assessment Report.
- Worried about the air you breathe? – New research projects on air quality and climate change are underway by a researcher (Damon Matthews) at a Quebec university. This research could help the whole country to reduce the impact of climate change and help us to adapt.
- Was the infamous red tide in the St. Lawrence Estuary during the summer of 2008 an unusual phenomenon? Experts who gathered at a Quebec university recently said that the red tide is a natural phenomenon that was more extensive than normal because the rain and wind conditions were favourable for its expansion. It appears that the number of reported occurrences of such tides has increased in the past 30 years in many locations around the world.
- Abandoned mines are an environmental menace. How can we neutralize them? Researchers from two Quebec universities (Michel Aubertin and Bruno Bussière) are working with partners to develop the solutions needed to take on this environmental and economic challenge.
- When it comes to noise and pollution, cities create their share of environmental problems. How can we reduce toxic emissions and greenhouse gases? Quebec researchers are studying the factors that contribute to urban pollution and are searching for solutions to these problems that affect all residents.
- A large waterway in peril – Pollution is killing more and more beluga whales in the Saint-Lawrence River. Researchers from a Quebec university (S. De Guise, C. Girard, A. Lagacé, S. Lair, D. Martineau, and I. Mikaélian) are conducting autopsies on the salvaged carcasses of belugas to discover the causes of these deaths.
- Replace oil? Wouldn’t that be nice? A Quebec researcher (Patsy Kearny) is narrowing in on a solution that would replace gas, in part, with ethanol.
- Cement production requires calcination of limestone, a process that releases nearly one tonne of CO2 into the atmosphere for every tonne of cement manufactured. How can CO2 from cement factories be eliminated? A researcher at a Quebec university has invented a chemical process that improves cement quality, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and reclaims the fly ash that is an environmental nuisance. In addition, because of a better understanding of the chemical phenomena involved, this scientist’s team has identified chemical systems that are able to mask carbon, and therefore neutralize its harmful action in concrete.
- The melting of our permafrost – The majority of northern villages are built on frozen ground. The recent melting of the permafrost is causing problems for land development and infrastructure stability. A Quebec interuniversity research centre (CEN) is leading a broad research program on permafrost in the populated areas of the North.
- A better understanding of the ecosystems that characterize northern countries is a challenge for an area like Quebec. A number of concerns are motivating the students and a professor at a Quebec university. Our northern location gives us unique ecosystems. We need to try to measure animal population dynamics, understand human influences on these systems and find ways to limit damage to biodiversity and promote sustainable development.
- A new vegetable-based plastic may soon be on store shelves. A Quebec professor, an expert in the morphology and the interface of polymer blends, is in the process of bringing his basic research and recent discovery to market. His high-performance, inexpensive plastic is composed of 50% thermoplastic starch, a natural substance found in most plants. Less harmful for the environment, less expensive and just as effective as conventional polymers, this plastic has great potential and is a step towards more sustainable development.
- The chemists of the past century gave us the petroleum industry, plastics and greenhouse gases: these contributions do not have a very good environmental reputation... But chemists of the 21st century have a different mission: to produce with the fewest resources possible and without leaving any traces. A way to green an unpopular profession. Chemistry is a way to find truly environmentally-friendly processes. Researchers at Quebec universities have originated green chemistry: one example is more environmentally friendly solvents.
All the specialists that focus on the environment and its effect on the daily lives of Quebeckers — engineers, chemists, biologists, architects, urban planners — are all graduates of a Quebec university
In many other areas, Quebec universities improve your daily life. Click here to find out more.
