In September 2020, an ad hoc committee was formed to determine PGO’s role and responsibility with respect to Sustainability and Climate Change.

Climate Change and Geoscience: Considerations for Professional Practice
PGO protects the public by regulating Ontario registered geoscientists and advancing professional practice. Initial focus of the ad hoc Subcommittee has therefore been consideration of the implications of climate change for the professional practice of geoscience. The Position Statement sets out key messages, together with an overview of changing climate conditions and risks in Ontario, the role and Professional Geoscientists and the role of PGO.

Sustainability 
Increasing emphasis on sustainability, within both the public and private sector, has wide ranging implications for the economic and social context within which PGO registrants work. The ad hoc Subcommittee will work to consider these implications and appropriate responses to support registrants.

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." 

This 1983 World Commission on Environment and Development definition was also adopted in Canada's Federal Sustainable Development Act passed in Parliament in June 2008.

Sustainability goals, such as the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), address key global challenges, and call for action by all countries. 

In Canada, the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy sets out 13 goals, together with the actions and environmental indicators being used by the Canadian Government to promote clean growth, ensure healthy ecosystems and build safe, secure and sustainable communities going forward to 2022. In Ontario, the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan sets out the province’s plan to address climate change and protect air, land and water.

However, sustainability is not only a driver for public sector action. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics are increasingly being integrated by capital markets and the private sector, both to measure performance and direct investment to generate specific beneficial social or environmental effects, in addition to financial gains. 

Climate Change
A key element of sustainability is addressing the challenge of climate change and this is the area on which the ad hoc Subcommittee has initially focussed. 

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report - AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis sets out the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change at a global scale.

To understand how Canada’s climate has changed and what changes are projected for the future, registrants may find it helpful to read Canada’s Changing Climate Report, led by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The Canadian Centre for Climate Services also hosts a wealth of relevant information, including a library of climate resources, a climate services support desk and access to downloadable climate data.

The Standards Council of Canada’s Standards to Support Resilience in Infrastructure Program (2016-2021) provides details of Canadian standards and guidance documents that have been developed to address changing climatic conditions.  

In addition, Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) maintain a Climate Change Information Portal, that registrants may also find useful.  The portal includes reports and resources pertaining to Canada and beyond, contributed by geoscientists working on climate adaptation, climate data analysis and geomorphological assessment.

To find out more or to get involved in sustainability and climate change at PGO, please contact us at info@pgo.ca.