Canada Takes the Lead: MaRS Climate Impact 2024 Recap
From resilient cities to cutting-edge cleantech, here’s how Canada is setting the stage for a sustainable future.
Dear Climate Northerners, 🌎
On December 3–4, 2024, the MaRS Climate Impact 2024 conference turned the spotlight on Canadian cleantech. With global leaders, bold innovations, and critical conversations about resilience, it was a wake-up call for the world: Canada isn’t just keeping up in the fight against climate change—we’re leading it. From groundbreaking carbon removal technologies to the need for structural change in our built environments, MaRS 2024 left no stone unturned.
Climate North was on site at the event. We’re sharing our highlights from the two days that left us energized, inspired, and thinking about how to build a future we aspire to have.
🔍 Key Themes from the Conference
1. AgTech Takes the Stage
This was the first year that AgTech was featured at MaRS Climate Impact event, emphasising its rising importance in tackling climate challenges. Key discussions focused on:
Addressing food insecurity through resilient farming practices.
Biotech innovations to reduce pesticide use and reverse unsustainable practices.
AgriTech North, which is transforming food production in Canada’s northern climates. By using controlled environment agriculture, they enable year-round growing in harsh conditions, supporting food security and reducing reliance on imports.
SkyAcres Agrotechnologies, whose aeroponic systems produce organic food with minimal water and land use, highlighting how innovation can redefine agriculture.
Why It Matters: Sustainable agriculture practices are important for the longevity and health of both our people and the planet. Estimates suggest regenerative agricultural practices could sequester 4-8 gigatons of CO2 per year globally. Aeroponic systems use 98% less water and land than traditional farming methods and 30% less than hydroponic systems while eliminating the need for herbicides and pesticides.
With climate change threatening global food security, Canada’s sustainable agriculture sector is critical to feeding the world while safeguarding our planet.
2. Climate Resilience: A Priority, Not a Choice
Climate resilience is the ability to adapt to and recover from climate impacts like wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. It’s about proactive planning to minimize damage and disruption.
Key Solutions Highlighted at MaRS:
AI for wildfire management: New tools predict high-risk conditions and improve resource allocation during fires, reducing damage and costs.
Did You Know? Canada’s 2023 wildfires burned approximately 7.8 million hectares of forests, producing roughly 3 billion tons of CO2 emissions. AI can save lives, ecosystems, and money.Biotech for wildfire containment: Innovations in biotech are providing solutions to smother wildfires quickly and prevent their spread, using methods that work with the environment instead of against it.
Impact: Innovatree Carbon Group Ltd. developed software using LiDAR data and machine learning to calculate carbon in forest biomass, which can aid in post-fire restoration efforts.Parks as infrastructure: Parks absorb water, reduce heat, and act as natural defenses against extreme weather.
Relevance: Treating parks as essential infrastructure reduces reliance on costly engineered systems.Smart financial planning: Investing in resilience saves money—every dollar spent prevents up to eight dollars in recovery costs.
Impact: These strategies protect vulnerable communities while cutting disaster recovery costs. For instance, The Government of Canada is providing $530 million to municipalities through the Green Municipal Fund to help communities adapt to climate change. This funding supports projects that build resilience, such as flood barriers and water conservation practices.
3. Built Environment: Building for the Future
Canada’s construction industry is beginning to confront the challenge of embodied carbon—emissions released before a building is even occupied. Experts stressed:
Using low-carbon materials and adopting more sustainable building codes.
Raising public awareness to make sustainability a “must-have” feature.
Scaling modular construction methods like those from Intelligent City for rapid deployment of eco-friendly buildings.
Big Idea: Canada’s clean energy grid provides a unique advantage, making us well-positioned to lead in sustainable manufacturing.
Canada already has one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world (led by hydropower), with over 83% of production from non-emitting sources, and aims to increase that to 90% by 2030.
As of 2023, Canada had 21.9 GW of wind energy, solar energy, and energy storage installed capacity.
The clean energy sector is projected to triple its current labor force by 2050, providing over a quarter million jobs6. This growth in the clean energy workforce supports the expansion of sustainable manufacturing.
4. Carbon Removal: Catalyzing Action
The MaRS Carbon Removal Program showcased technologies from TerraFixing and CarbonRun, among others. Highlights included:
Projects that emphasize community partnerships to balance environmental goals with social equity.
Technologies designed to operate in cold, remote locations, making them ideal for Canada’s unique landscape.
The growing role of carbon credits in funding and accelerating adoption.
Why It Matters: Carbon removal is essential to addressing legacy emissions that won’t disappear on their own. By scaling these solutions, we can work toward a more sustainable future while fostering innovation and supporting local communities in the process.
5. Cleantech Momentum
With factors like the government investing more than $100 billion towards climate action, a regulatory framework that is pushing for innovation, a skilled workforce and abundant natural resources, Canada has become a leader making waves in the global cleantech arena.
Ranked #2 globally in the 2024 Cleantech Innovation Index, with 13 companies in the top 100.
Investments in cleantech have quadrupled since 2019, signaling strong international confidence.
Startups like Summit Nanotech and Evercloak are leading innovation across mining, materials, and energy sectors.
What’s Next? Canada must foster a risk-taking culture to turn bold ideas into scalable solutions.
🌟 Voices of the Event
Some standout voices from the conference:
“We need to stop building to minimum standards and aim for maximum sustainability.” – Michelle Xuereb, Innovation Director, BDP Quadrangle.
“Don’t let the last mile of net zero distract you from the first 80%—there’s so much progress we can make now.” – Natasha Kostenuk, Co-Founder & CEO, Ayrton Energy.
“Canada has the energy expertise to lead—now we need to embrace risk and dream bigger.” – Peter Sopher, Investment Partner, Clean Energy Ventures.
“Every project starts with building trust. Listen to the communities where you operate.” – Vida Gabriel, CoFounder & COO, TerraFixing.
“We’re in a hockey stick moment for sustainability—we haven’t hit the curve yet, but it’s coming.” – Phil Santana, Director, Sustainability, Mattamy Homes.
🎄 Join Us for Some Holiday Cheer!
Climate North Presents: End of Year Holiday Party
📅 Date: December 16th, 2024 | 🕕 Time: 6:00 PM | 📍 Location: TacoTaco at Kensington
We’re wrapping up 2024 in style with a night of celebration, reflection, and connections! This year has been nothing short of amazing, and it’s all thanks to YOU—our passionate, inspiring community of Climate Northerners. Let’s toast to the progress we’ve made, the friendships we’ve built, and the exciting possibilities that 2025 holds.
Here’s what’s in store:
Fun activities to break the ice and spark laughter.
Community vibes with people who share your passion for sustainability.
Tasty refreshments, including a drink ticket with your registration.
Don’t Wait—Spots Are Limited!
Spaces for this special evening are filling fast, so grab your ticket now and join us to celebrate everything Climate North has achieved this year. We can’t wait to see you there!
Spread the Green 🌱
Help us grow the Climate North community! Share this newsletter with friends or colleagues who care about creating a climate-positive future. Together, we can drive awareness, action, and innovation to new heights.
Written by Tejas Shah. Supported by Sarah Clayton and Julian Cheah.
The Climate North team - Chloe D'Agostini, Rebeka (Becky) Park-Romanovsky, Fab Barrillot.