Draft:Canadian Climate Institute

The Canadian Climate Institute is a national climate policy research organization in Canada. It was established in January 2020 and works on climate policy research in three areas: mitigation, adaptation and clean growth. The institute has published extensively on each subject, with a number of research reports focused on quantifying the costs of climate change in Canada,   building a net zero emissions economy,  and meeting the country's emissions reduction goals. The organization has published independent assessments on the federal government's Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Strategy,  and has developed an early estimate of national emissions,  which provides an advanced inventory of Canada's annual greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the federal government's official emission inventory. The institute is a member of the International Climate Councils Network and runs 440 Megatonnes, a data-driven research project that tracks emissions and climate policy progress across Canada.

History
Formally launched in January 2020 under the name Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, the institute was established in response to the Canadian government's call for an independent, national organization of Canadian experts providing research and policy advice on clean growth and climate change. The institute was established as an independent advisory body on climate policy, similar to the United Kingdom's Climate Change Committee and France's Haut Conseil pour le Climat. The initial proposal to establish the institute was supported by 15 organizations—including post-secondary institutions, research institutes, and environmental groups—and selected through a competitive process.

In 2021, the Canadian Climate Institute became a registered charity and is supported by the Government of Canada and a number of philanthropic funders and individual donors.

Research
The institute produced its first report, Charting Our Course: Bringing clarity to Canada's climate policy choices on the journey to 2050 , as part of its public launch on January 20, 2020. Since that time, the organization has published a range of research reports, scoping papers, case studies and blogs focusing on a variety of climate change and clean growth issues.

The Costs of Climate Change series includes five reports analyzing how to protect Canadians from the financial and physical costs of climate change. Sink or Swim was the first report to assess Canada's economic prospects in the face of accelerating global market shifts responding to climate change. The report Canada's Net Zero Future  introduced the concept of "safe bets and wild card" technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The report included the first comprehensive modelling of Canada's potential pathways to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

In February 2022, the institute published its first independent assessment of the federal government's Emissions Reduction Plan. It followed up in December 2023 with an independent assessment of the federal government's official progress report on the Emissions Reduction Plan.

In November 2022, the Canadian Climate Institute launched 440 Megatonnes, a data-driven research project tracking emissions and climate policy progress across Canada. 440 Megatonnes is named after the level of greenhouse gas emissions needed to reach Canada's 2030 emissions reduction target. The project has published a number of data tracking initiatives, including the Early Estimate of National Emissions, which provides an estimate of total annual greenhouse gas emissions in the country before official data is available through the federal government's National Inventory Report.

The institute’s research has been cited in academic journals,  and by the federal Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development,   the Canada Energy Regulator, the Sustainable Finance Action Council, the Parliamentary Budget Officer and in numerous federal policy and regulatory documents.

Organizational structure
The Canadian Climate Institute is a fully remote research organization with staff located across the country. Its Board of Directors is composed of individuals from a range of industries and disciplines.

The Institute's work is grounded in research and evidence, and is informed by a group of experts at post-secondary institutions from across Canada.

Members of the Institute's Council of Advisors also provide input, feedback and guidance related to the Institute's work. The advisors include representatives of government, industry and civil society across Canada.