York University and University of Iceland researchers launch National Ecological Footprint & Biocapacity Accounts 2026

On Earth Day, April 22, 2026, the International Ecological Footprint Learning Lab recently hosted a landmark webinar to launch the 2026 edition of the National Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts. The 2026 launch specifically highlighted how this ecological data connects with global human well-being metrics. The latest release was presented by researchers at York University […]

EUC hosts first undergraduate research fair

The Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) hosted its first Undergraduate Research Fair on March 18th, 2026, at York University. Initiated by the Environmental and Urban Change Students’ Association (EUCSA) led by Gurneet Singh, the fair was designed to showcase original undergraduate research. The event brought together EUC undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff […]

EUC Peer Mentor Program and Green Career Fair foster academic student training and professional development

For the first time, EUC undergraduate students presented at the annual YUAdvise Conference in February 2026, a significant milestone, as students have not typically been featured as presenters at this pan-university event. Through their session, Intentional by Design: Evolving Our Peer Mentor Program Experience, Peer Mentor Leads Alex Simon and Rachelle Abi-Najem co-presented alongside their […]

Growing Black food sovereignty in Toronto

by Patricia F. Walker, PhD Student, Environmental Studies On February 23, 2026, the EUC community came together to celebrate Black History Month and to learn about the work of Nicole Jacobs, Aaron Joseph, and Charlyn Ellis, MES students and leaders in the food justice and Black food sovereignty movement in Toronto. The panel, which was […]

Farm decisions, policy tools, and wild bee conservation

by Briann Dorin, EUC postdoctoral researcher Pollinators play a vital role in agricultural landscapes by pollinating both wild and cultivated flowering plants, facilitating plant reproduction and contributing to the yield and quality of many major food crops. However, recent assessments across the United States and Canada estimate that more than one in five pollinator species […]

Refugee dreams and realities: Interrogating the ruralization of refugee resettlement

In a recent International Geographical Union (IGU) meeting convened by the Commission on the Sustainability of Rural Systems and held at the University of the Philippines Diliman in Manila in December 2025, EUC Professor Jennifer Hyndman presented a paper titled, “The Ruralization of migration through protection policy: Refugees in Canada” that worked through the relational […]

Decision-making processes and outcomes on offshore oil exploratory drilling and marine protected areas

Call for bids, acreage release, rights issuance, and block offers are different phrases that describe when parcels of ocean floor are identified as potential areas for oil and gas exploration. If a company has a successful bid, it will undertake exploration drilling and if a significant discovery is made, oil or gas production can last […]

Military spending, profitability, and economic dynamics

by Joshua J. Watterton, EUC PhD candidate As global military spending and production surge, war bells again ring.[1],[2] In fact, military spending has risen steadily over the past 25 years, at the global level and in the case of many individual countries.[3] This spending is unevenly distributed across the world system: the top 15 countries […]

Assessing governance and accountability in the Lake Simcoe watershed

Lake Simcoe is one of Ontario’s most important freshwater ecosystems. It is vital to the ecological health, cultural identity and economic wellbeing of the region. Spanning more than 3,400 square kilometres, the watershed supports over half a million residents, dozens of communities and a diversity of natural systems, from coldwater fish habitat to wetlands and […]

32nd Eco-Arts and Media Festival takes place March 2 to 6

Since 1994, the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC) (formerly Faculty of Environmental Studies) has been hosting and coordinating the Eco-Arts and Media Festival, an annual week-long event that acknowledges, shares and appreciates environmental and social justice perspectives through creative lens. In previous years, the event has had themes such as Fugitive Ecologies, Mending, […]