Prof. Jillene Marlowe is contributing to the way Canadian cities measure, monitor and report on carbon accounting, including their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).

The project, titled "Municipal Net-Zero Action Research Partnership (N-ZAP)" is led by Dr. Amelia Clarke at the University of Waterloo in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and ICLEI Canada - Local Governments for Sustainability.

Prof. Marlowe, a faculty member in Grenfell Campus's business administration program, will focus on compiling insights from Canadian municipalities to generate a cohesive approach to integrating carbon accounting, including physical climate risk and climate budgeting into municipal planning processes. The research will be compiled and aggregated to aid in the development of key deliverables for Canadian Municipalities, including an advanced technical guide for climate-related financial disclosure; an instruction manual based on advice on carbon accounting; and an improved tool to embed methods for carbon accounting within municipal systems.

The main goal of N-ZAP is to support Canadian municipalities in measuring, monitoring, and achieving net-zero (GHG) mitigation goals. Additionally, the aim is to ensure emissions reduction projects, policies, and programs are aligned with Canada's national reduction commitments. The project will study and create improved measurement, analysis, and monitoring systems for both municipal and community-wide GHG emissions to advance the quantification of GHG emissions and enable the application of methods to identify mitigation opportunities and evaluate their effectiveness. This work will augment national reporting processes and align with international practice.

Memorial University's involvement in the $8.5-million project in cash and in-kind support (over five years) is $210,045 in contributions.