Climate Justice, AI, and Technology
Canada, like the rest of the world, faces a crisis of sustainable technology and economic transition. As governments develop policy responses, they are in urgent need of empirically informed support from the academic community to integrate leading global scholarship and policy expertise within domestic decision making.
New Report — December 2025
Are Canadians Climate Doomers?
In a decade marked by historic heatwaves, fires, and floods all over the world, including a record breaking wildfire season in Canada, climate doom has become an increasingly familiar term in public debate. This “doomsday” belief that the climate crisis is already unavoidable and that action no longer matters entered a new phase of mainstream attention when a recent interview with David Suzuki appeared to signal a turn toward fatalism from one of the country’s most trusted environmental voices. Whether or not Suzuki genuinely reflects this outlook, the headline sparked nationwide conversation about how Canadians understand our climate future.
This research explores that question directly. Through a nationally representative survey, we find that 11–12% of Canadians identify as climate doomers, yet estimate the public average in Canada to be a whopping 42%. This large perception gap could suggest that the idea of widespread climate fatalism may be more prominent in our online discourse than in our actual attitudes.
Understanding the contested terrain of climate doom, how Canadians make sense of it, how the concept circulates within our information ecosystem, and which narratives gain traction is essential for understanding the dynamics shaping public trust and action on climate change.
New Report — January 2025
Climate Obstruction:
On the State and Spread of Climate Disinformation in Canada
Climate Essay Series
The Climate & Tech essay series examines a range of issues at the intersection of climate justice and technology. Written by a diverse group of experts, including academics, practitioners, and advocates involved in teaching, researching, and working at the intersection of digitally mediated life and climate crisis, the essays aim to bridge research and policy. The series approaches the topic from three thematic angles:
Climate Justice and Digital Media: will explore how digital platforms, like social media and online reporting, shape climate journalism and storytelling;
The Climate Impacts of Digital Media and its Infrastructures: will examine how digital technologies and their infrastructures–from AI, to data centres and batteries, affects the environment and contributes to climate change;
Using Digital Tools and Environmental Data for Climate Justice: will look at how digital technologies and environmental data is being used to tackle issues of environmental and climate justice.
