Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions

Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions PICS aims to catalyze and mobilize research, partnerships, and knowledge that generate climate action.

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions amplifies research and insights to answer complex climate change issues. We believe climate change is best solved through collaborative approaches to research and knowledge sharing. By taking a values-based approach, we bring diverse forms of expertise and knowledge together to contribute to lasting solutions. PICS is hosted and led by the University of

Victoria, in collaboration with Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Northern British Columbia.

🐔Your chickens need fire protection!* Learn more about how you can build fire resilience through the Community Fire Resi...
06/12/2026

🐔Your chickens need fire protection!* Learn more about how you can build fire resilience through the Community Fire Resilience Handbook, a resource developed by the PICS-funded project Building Rural & Remote Community Climate Resilience.

The handbook shares practical ways to help keep your coop safer and more resilient during fire season, including planning for fire and smoke events, reducing spark risks, and exploring safer building materials or retrofits.

You don’t need to wing it! The project’s handbook provides maps, checklists, and other resources to support you.

Check it out at: https://ow.ly/6tq350Zaf8Z

*Don’t have chickens? Humans benefit from planning for community fire resilience too 😄

How can researchers and communities work together to create more equitable partnerships?Join us this Thursday, June 11, ...
06/08/2026

How can researchers and communities work together to create more equitable partnerships?

Join us this Thursday, June 11, for a Circle of Practice conversation with Dr. Jonathan Moore, Professor of Aquatic Ecology and Conservation at Simon Fraser University and lead of the Salmon Watersheds Lab.

For decades, Moore has worked alongside communities, governments, and researchers to better understand and protect the watersheds that Pacific salmon call home. Drawing from this experience, he'll lead a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of collaborative research, including strategies for ensuring community voices and leadership are respected throughout the research process.

Whether you're a researcher, practitioner, student, or community leader, the Circle of Practice offers a space for learning, reflection, and dialogue around relationship-building and climate action.

Register for the Circle of Practice here: https://climatesolutions.ca/circle-of-practice/

Did you know June 3 was Clean Air Day?As wildfire smoke becomes an increasingly common part of BC summers, protecting ac...
06/05/2026

Did you know June 3 was Clean Air Day?

As wildfire smoke becomes an increasingly common part of BC summers, protecting access to clean air is more important than ever.

These resources from PICS-funded Building Rural & Remote Community Climate Resilience Project can help to:

💨Monitor local air quality conditions
🔥Access real-time smoke forecasts
⚠️ Receive air quality alerts

Remember: If you can see or smell smoke, take precautions!

Here are some links to helpful resources:

WeatherCan App: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/weather-general-tools-resources/weathercan.html
FireSmoke Canada: https://firesmoke.ca/
PurpleAir Air Quality Monitoring Map: https://map.purpleair.com/air-quality-standards-us-epa-aqi?opt=%2F1%2Flp%2Fa10%2Fp604800%2FcC0 #6.48/53.018/-123.947
BC Air Quality Warning Alerts: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/air/air-quality/air-advisories
Community Fire Resilience Handbook: https://climatesolutions.ca/community-fire-resilience-handbook/

Two weeks left to apply for the World Weaving Climate Research Program. Three pathways support different stages of colla...
06/03/2026

Two weeks left to apply for the World Weaving Climate Research Program.

Three pathways support different stages of collaborative climate research:

➡️ Relationship Building

➡️ Knowledge Exchange

➡️ Multi-year Research

Whether you are building relationships, sharing knowledge, or advancing sustained research partnerships, funding is available to support this work.

Deadline: June 17, 2026 (4:00 p.m. PT)

Apply now: https://ow.ly/9rBC50YT0zY

What does climate resilience mean for your community? Perhaps it means…✅ Your family and families around you are prepare...
05/27/2026

What does climate resilience mean for your community? Perhaps it means…

✅ Your family and families around you are prepared for fires and ready for smoke events.
✅ Investments in climate-resilient building materials that mean your home is ready for more intense fires, storms, and other hazards.
✅ Frameworks for climate risk assessments that are driven by your community’s values.

The PICS-funded Building Rural & Remote Community Climate Resilience Project has launched a new website featuring resources to help rural and remote communities across BC strengthen climate resilience.

Explore the site: https://ow.ly/Q5L550Z4kPh

The project team also welcomes opportunities to collaborate and is available to support communities interested in sharing resources or knowledge.

Over the past year, PICS supported 37 university events across B.C., bringing together researchers, students, and commun...
05/21/2026

Over the past year, PICS supported 37 university events across B.C., bringing together researchers, students, and communities to share climate knowledge and spark new collaborations.

From workshops and panels to film screenings and hands-on events, these initiatives are helping turn research into action across campuses.

Explore highlights from this year’s University Climate Knowledge Mobilization Events program: https://ow.ly/UTvv50YYuXb

World weaving is the practice of creating connections across knowledge systems, lived experiences, and ways of understan...
05/20/2026

World weaving is the practice of creating connections across knowledge systems, lived experiences, and ways of understanding the world.

The World Weaving Multi-Year Research Pathway supports sustained, BC First Nation-led and co-designed climate research partnerships.

This pathway is designed for work that:

✔️ addresses complex and emerging climate challenges
✔️ is grounded in meaningful First Nations leadership and co-design
✔️ supports knowledge co-production and long-term collaboration

PICS plans to fund four to six multi-year projects, $80,000 to $200,000 per project over three years.

Funding supports multi-year research that cannot be meaningfully achieved within short funding cycles.

Applications close June 17, 2026.

Learn more and apply: https://ow.ly/heEm50YVkz0

What does reciprocal research look like in practice? Last year’s Uplifting Reciprocal Research Scholars are already demo...
05/19/2026

What does reciprocal research look like in practice?

Last year’s Uplifting Reciprocal Research Scholars are already demonstrating what reciprocal, community-driven climate research can look like.

📸 These images capture members of the 2025 cohort conducting research in partnership with First Nations communities across B.C.

The scholarship supports graduate students at PICS universities (University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, & University of Northern British Columbia) working in collaboration with First Nations communities—grounded in respect and long-term relationships.

In addition to funding, scholars develop case studies that:

➡️ Share real-world experiences of co-developed research
➡️ Highlight community knowledge and practices
➡️ Offer practical insights for future partnerships

If your research is already connected to Indigenous community priorities in B.C., this program is designed to support and amplify that work.

Apply by June 23

🔗 https://ow.ly/i1pP50YYtJt

Where we build continues to shape climate risk, affordability, and growth across B.C. If you missed it, our recent repor...
05/18/2026

Where we build continues to shape climate risk, affordability, and growth across B.C.

If you missed it, our recent report Where We Build Matters explores how land use planning decisions across B.C. influence exposure to hazards and where there are opportunities to better account for climate risk before new exposure is created.

From housing pressures to governance complexity, the report examines the factors shaping land use planning today and the choices that could reduce future risk.

📄 Read the report: https://ow.ly/Oy6U50YT1kN

Collaborative climate research is grounded in relationships and reciprocal knowledge exchange. Relational Foundations Gr...
05/13/2026

Collaborative climate research is grounded in relationships and reciprocal knowledge exchange.

Relational Foundations Grants support the collaborative processes between academic researchers and First Nations that make ethical and effective climate research possible.

Two pathways are available:

➡️ Relationship Building Pathway (RBP)
Supports early-stage activities that build trust, strengthen relationships, and enable co-design and priority-setting.

➡️ Knowledge Exchange Pathway (KEX)
Supports knowledge exchange and mobilization within existing research collaborations, particularly during the mid-to-end stages of a project.

PICS will fund five to eight projects per year, $5,000 to $15,000 per project.

These pathways recognize that relationship-building and knowledge exchange are essential—not secondary—to the research process.

Applications close June 17.

Learn more and apply: https://ow.ly/gOA650YVkzK

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+12508533595

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