Geography and Environmental Management

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This is the collection for the University of Waterloo's Department of Geography and Environmental Management.

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Examining Enabling Conditions of Multi-loop Social Learning in Integrated Flood Risk Management: Evidence from Ontario’s Conservation Authorities in a Flood Management Network Context
(University of Waterloo, 2026-01-30) Ciardulli, Paolo
Flood risk remains a persistent societal challenge, as no existing measures can offer complete protection against its impacts. Despite advancements in forecasting technologies, infrastructure and policy, flood events continue to result in substantial economic, social and environmental consequences. The complexity of managing flood risk stems from the interaction of dynamic and interrelated factors such as land-use change, risk constructs, governance structures, stakeholder priorities and coordination mechanisms. Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) offers a comprehensive approach, recognizing the need for coordination across governmental levels, sectors and stakeholders while adapting to changing conditions. Within these interconnected socio-ecological systems, continuous learning and adaptation are essential. Social learning, particularly Multi-Loop Social Learning (MLSL), is a key supportive element of IFRM, yet it remains underexplored in this context. This dissertation investigates the presence of theoretically grounded MLSL capacities and enabling conditions in the practices and collaborative processes of Ontario’s Conservation Authorities (CAs). Particular attention is given to their interactions with the broader Ontario flood management network. These MLSL factors are theorized to play a critical role in supporting the development and application of an IFRM strategy. The IFRM strategy used in this research is modeled after a multi-phased, bio-regionally based, iterative, real-world and documented example: the European Union’s Floods Directive. The study examines how MLSL capacities align with the demands of such an IFRM approach in the Ontario context. Therefore, it situates Ontario within a broader Canadian conversation about the intersection of river basin-based water resources management and MLSL. Ontario’s CAs, which are river basin–based organizations with legal mandates in flood risk reduction, served as embed units of analysis within the wider case study (i.e., the CA flood management network) for this research. A two-round Delphi survey was conducted with 20 flood risk management (FRM) experts. Survey questions were designed to reflect MLSL factors derived from a previously developed research framework which focused on said factors in the context of Québec’s watershed management organizations. The modified Delphi approach also made it possible to capture both consensus and divergence between academic and practitioner perspectives. Findings indicate that several enabling MLSL capacities are evident in Ontario’s IFRM setting. These include (1) collaborative partnerships and networks, (2) an intentional approach to learning regarding collaborative processes, (3) sustained participation with governmental stakeholders, (4) cross-sectoral collaboration, (5) internal technical expertise, and (6) learning related to project goals. Respondents attributed these capacities to the CAs’ pivotal roles in flood management networks, long-standing engagement with municipalities and the province, their ecosystem-based approach, and their ability to convene diverse stakeholders across watersheds. CAs were also recognized for their multidisciplinary teams, adaptive management practices, and facilitation skills. Conversely, the study identified several areas where MLSL capacities are lacking. These include (1) shared data access among governmental actors, (2) collaborative decision-making across governmental levels, (3) an enabling democratic environment, (4) in-depth project reflection using formalized assessments, and (5) access to external expertise. Respondents attributed these gaps to uncertainty about data access, staff and funding constraints, inconsistent capacity among CAs, governance limitations, and unclear roles of external experts. These gaps highlight both institutional and policy limitations that impact the potential to fully transition toward IFRM in Ontario. This research isolates and analyzes specific MLSL themes, thus, making it possible to assess specific conditions that enable capacity for MLSL. Two key dimensions emerged: (1) the extent to which MLSL capacities are present and (2) how they manifest across IFRM phases. Together, these insights reveal the degree to which MLSL supports IFRM strategy development and implementation. A cross-comparison with a seminal study found convergence on 9 of 11 MLSL themes. This degree of alignment suggests that MLSL capacity challenges are broadly consistent across Canadian river basin-based water resources management contexts; particularly between Ontario and Québec. This study contributes to scholarly discourse by advancing understanding of MLSL in IFRM settings and offering practical insights for flood management organizations seeking to transition toward more integrated and adaptive approaches. The broader problem this research addressed is the extent to which watershed management agencies, or similar institutions, can effectively transition from one management model to another, particularly when such a transition necessitates the development of specialized MLSL capacities required for implementing the new strategy or model. In parallel, the research highlights policy needs by showing where Ontario’s flood strategy can be reinforced: shared data systems, inclusive decision-making, reflexive evaluation, expanded expertise and sustained multi-sectoral collaboration.
Semantic Segmentation of LiDAR Point Clouds for 3D Mapping of Underground Space
(University of Waterloo, 2026-01-27) Fatholahi, Sarah N.
Underground space is among the most challenging environments for 3D mapping because the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals are often inaccessible. This thesis investigates the use of the LiDAR-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology to map such underground space. Underground parking lots, as an example, offer valuable solutions to the challenges posed by growing populations and urbanization, such as limited surface area, traffic congestion, and environmental concerns. They are GNSS-denied, geometrically repetitive, highly occluded by vehicles and pillars, and contain large, low-texture and specular surfaces that degrade sensing and registration. To support rigorous evaluation under these conditions, this thesis contributes three site-specific underground parking datasets captured using a hand-held LiDAR device, GeoSLAM. Each dataset provides clean point clouds and semantic labels for the core structural and operational classes: wall, pillar, vehicle, and ground, enabling controlled benchmarking. Since low-cost LiDAR scans yield sparse, non-uniform point distributions that omit fine structural features, the first study of the thesis addresses point cloud upsampling, an essential step for creating high-definition maps that preserve fine structural details while ensuring uniform data distribution for downstream tasks. Five deep learning upsampling models including PU-Net, PU-GAN, PU-GCN, PU-Transformer, and RepKPU are trained and tested in a unified pipeline and evaluated with Chamfer Distance for average surface fidelity, Hausdorff Distance for worst-case deviation, and inference time for deployability. RepKPU consistently delivers the best accuracy–latency trade-off in underground setting. Since accurate semantic understanding is crucial for structure-aware mapping and autonomous navigation in complex indoor environments, the second and third studies target semantic segmentation for underground parking spaces, first using Transformer-based backbones and then extending the evaluation to Mamba-based architectures. For Transformer-based methods (PT, PCT, and 3DGTN), the generalization across the three different parking lots is assessed using overall accuracy (OA), mean Intersection over Union (mIoU), and F1-score. The results establish 3DGTN as the most accurate and stable Transformer framework across all three sites. Complementing the Transformer study, Mamba-based methods (PointMamba, PoinTramba, and 3D-UMamba) are compared on the same datasets with 3D-UMamba offering the best overall performance.
Women’s Health and Wellbeing post COVID: A Case Study From Sub-Saharan Africa
(University of Waterloo, 2026-01-20) Walwanga, Isaiah
The Covid-19 pandemic swept across the globe causing hundreds of thousands of deaths, shutting down economies, closing borders and wreaking havoc on an unparalleled level. Countries around the world responded by enforcing nonpharmaceutical interventions in an attempt to flatten the curve and control transmission, morbidity and mortality as well as help ease pressure on healthcare systems. These interventions, though effective in flattening the transmission curve and easing pressure on healthcare systems, came with a heavy social and economic toll globally. Women and girls suffered greater impacts compared to men and boys. Loss of employment, economic distress, school dropout rates, intimate partner violence, as well as domestic violence were overexpressed among women and girls compared to men and boys. Low- and Middle-Income Countries, not being structurally resilient, are unable to quickly recover from such negative shocks. Little is still known as to how vulnerable populations such as women are recovering post pandemic regarding health and wellbeing. Drawing from Sen’s capability approach this thesis aimed to evaluate the differences in health and wellbeing among women in Kenya and Uganda post-pandemic compared to during the pandemic, and the determining factors. Health and wellbeing were operationalized using a wellbeing scale that measures the standard of living, General Health Questionnaire-12 that measures probable emotional distress, and perceived state of health relative to others of own age. 1:1 optimal pair propensity score matching was used to identify socio-demographically comparable participants from two cross-sectional surveys – done in 2021 and in 2023 in Kisumu, Western Kenya as well as in Mukono district, Central Uganda; hence producing two samples of 405 women in Kenya and 186 women in Uganda for each of the two timepoints. McNemar test was then used to compare health and wellbeing between the two timepoints while generalized estimating equations regression with exchangeable correlation structure was used to explore the factors associated with differences in health and wellbeing outcomes. The results show that probable emotional distress levels increased from 21.5% to 52.6% in Kenya but reduced from 88.2% to 61.8% in Uganda, and the proportion that reported poor/fair relative health increased from 25.7% to 35.6% in Kenya and from 25.7% to 35.6% in Uganda. Moreover, the proportion of women that perceived the quality of healthcare services in their community as poor/fair increased from 33.3% to 40.2% in Kenya and from 28.5% to 62.4% in Uganda. The accessibility of healthcare services was also increasingly being perceived as poor/fair in Kenya (23.2% to 29.4%) as well as in Uganda (29.0% to 67.7%). This research also found no significant differences in the proportion of women with health insurance post pandemic relative to during pandemic in both countries – Kenya (23.2% - 27.4%; p=0.196) and Uganda (2.7% - 3.8%; p=0.771). Wellbeing improved in Kenya but worsened in Uganda between the two timepoints – a worrying trend considering Ugandan women were much older, hence heightening their vulnerability. During the pandemic as well as post pandemic, women who were older, who lived in rental houses, who experienced high levels of water/Water Sanitation and Hygiene insecurity, and who lacked health insurance were likely to report poor health and wellbeing outcomes. Women in these categories were also more likely to report worsening health and wellbeing outcomes post pandemic relative to during the pandemic. Thus, recovering better from COVID-19 should involve ambitious plans that rebuild health, social and economic systems with a stronger focus on marginalized populations such as women and older persons. This research proposes that propensity score matching can be used to compare outcomes for samples from two repeated cross-sectional studies to help eliminate or reduce bias associated with differences in sample selection. To inform policy this research proposes that interventions should be focused on improving economic conditions, healthcare infrastructure, and water, sanitation and hygiene access with priority on the structurally vulnerable populations such as elderly women.
The salty truth behind gassy ponds: stratification and greenhouse gas emissions in urban stormwater ponds in southern Ontario
(University of Waterloo, 2026-01-19) Laliberte, Rayden
Urban stormwater management ponds are established end-of-pipe components of green stormwater management infrastructure in North America. The main aim of this infrastructure is to protect our cities and homes from storm flooding and to clean the water before introducing it to protected ecosystems. While created for stormwater management, stormwater ponds provide key ecosystem services in urban areas, such as storing carbon, preserving biodiversity, and enhancing the connection to nature for the surrounding communities. Regardless of these services, stormwater ponds also accumulate large loads of organic matter, nutrients, and contaminants from their catchment and undergo a range of aerobic to anaerobic microbial processes that create and release significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Pond design and catchment inputs may affect the processes and the GHG exchanges from the ponds. Therefore, this study aims to understand the processes that drive GHG emissions under the different design and contaminant conditions of depth and road salt concentration in four ponds over a study period from June - November and April - May the following year with no sampling over the winter months. The high salt ponds had greater stratification induced by road salt density gradient impact then their low salt counterparts, which was reflected in water specific conductivity and dissolved oxygen (DO), the stratification indexes calculated from the water column density gradients of each sample location, and the redox water quality sampling profiles. The CH4 emissions of the high salt ponds were also higher than their low salt counterparts, with the shallow ponds having higher emissions then the deep ponds, while the CO2 and N2O emissions were not driven by depth or road salt. A redundancy analysis showed that there were six significant predictors for the GHG emissions: specific conductivity, temperature, pH, dissolved CH₄ concentration, DO, and pond depth. CO₂ emissions were associated with deeper, cooler, low-conductivity conditions, whereas CH₄ diffusive emission and N₂O emissions were associated with high-conductivity, low-oxygen waters and ebullitive CH₄ emission aligned with warm, higher pH environments. These findings highlight the complex and dynamic role of stormwater management infrastructure in urban GHG emissions and the importance of understanding the processes that govern them.
Lake Ice Thickness Retrieval from SWOT and Legacy Spaceborne SAR Altimetry
(University of Waterloo, 2026-01-08) Fatt, Jennifer
Lakes play a critical role as climate change proxies and cover a significant portion of the northern latitude landscape. Lake ice phenology offers valuable insight into changing climate patterns, yet in-situ observations of lake ice have declined substantially in recent decades. This observational gap underscores the growing importance of remote sensing as a tool for understanding and monitoring lake ice. Northern and remote communities particularly rely on lake ice quality, quantity, and thickness for transportation on ice roads, subsistence activities, and recreational use. There has been limited research exploring the use of satellite altimetry for the retrieval of lake ice thickness (LIT); however, its efficacy and utility have been highlighted in recent studies. The Ku-band SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) nadir altimeter (NAlt) provides an opportunity to retrieve ice properties and directly measure ice thickness. This study assesses the retrieval of LIT from SAR altimeters aboard the legacy Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-6 sensors over the winter seasons 2019 to 2025 on Lhù’ààn Mân (Kluane Lake), Yukon, and compares it with the estimated LIT derived from the SWOT altimeter analysis. LIT can be determined using Ku-band altimetry through the analysis of double-peaked waveforms characteristic of lake ice formed by the interaction of the radar signal with the ice interfaces. The utilization of SWOT altimetry has the potential to advance understanding of lake ice processes and to provide valuable datasets for d hydrological models, as well as overall resource management. This thesis discusses the potential applications of SWOT altimetry in lake ice thickness retrieval, emphasizing its capacity to fill critical data gaps. This study implements a dual-peak waveform methodology to estimate LIT using SWOT NAlt and reports an overall RMSE of <0.15m for the SWOT scientific period 2024-2025.
Assessment of ERA5-Land Lake Ice Related Variables from Satellite Observations
(University of Waterloo, 2025-12-19) Mansingh, Ariana
Lake ice is an important climatic indicator because it responds to and alters surface energy fluxes, which in turn influence weather and climate (e.g., precipitation, air temperature). Therefore, accurately representing lake-atmosphere interactions within climate and weather models has been shown to reduce forecast errors. Despite the recognized importance of lake ice processes within models, few studies have evaluated the quality of the lake ice-related variables available from ERA5-Land, a widely used reanalysis product. To address this gap, this thesis evaluates ERA5-Land’s lake ice estimates against satellite-derived observations from NOAA, CIS, IMS and MODIS. It assesses biases in lake ice fraction, timing and surface temperature across seven Canadian lakes over 20 years (2004-2023). The study lakes are grouped into northern lakes (Great Bear, Great Slave, Athabasca and Winnipeg) and the Laurentian Great Lakes (Superior, Huron and Erie). The biases were quantified using mean bias error (MBE) and mean absolute error (MAE), with ERA5-Land treated as “predicted” values and satellite-derived products as “observed” values. This thesis provides one of the first spatial and temporally extensive evaluations of ERA5-Land’s lake ice estimates. The overall findings show that ERA5-Land consistently overestimated lake ice fraction during freeze-up and break-up. Across all lakes, ERA5-Land generally produced earlier freeze-up timing, earlier break-up start, and later break-up end than observations. While timing bias followed similar patterns across lakes, distinct patterns emerged between the northern lakes and the Laurentian Great Lakes. These patterns indicate broader weaknesses of ERA5-Land, which uses the Freshwater Lake model (FLake) as its lake parameterization scheme, notably the omission of snow cover over lake ice and the tendency of the product to form a full ice cover on the Laurentian Great Lakes, which typically experience 40-80% ice fraction at winter maximum. As a result, high MAE was observed during both freeze-up (max=47%) and break-up (max=62%). Consequently, this overestimation of ice cover in ERA5-Land typically led to a daytime cold bias in surface temperatures during the ice-covered period. Additionally, it contributed to ice timing biases, notably the freeze-up end (~22 days earlier on average) and the break-up start (~25-28 days later on average). The lack of consideration of snow cover on ice in FLake/ERA5-Land prevents accounting for its effects on ice growth, heat absorption, and surface temperature. It is well known that snow slows ice growth by reducing downward heat transfer. Thus, ERA5-Land overestimates lake ice thickness across all lakes, which in turn contributes to the delay in break-up start. The early break-up end timing is likely linked to ERA5-Land neglecting the cooling effect of snow’s high albedo, which would otherwise slow melt by reflecting solar radiation. Additionally, during months of high snowfall, ERA5-Land produced a larger warm surface temperature bias, most notable among the northern lakes. Overall, this thesis quantified the biases arising from two notable weaknesses in ERA5-Land’s parameterization: the omission of snow cover on ice and the inability to account for partial ice coverage in the large lakes examined in this research. The quantification of biases provides insight into how these weaknesses skew ERA5-Land estimates. This thesis provides new insights into the limitations of ERA5-Land regarding lake ice, which should be considered leading to for future product releases.
Differential vulnerabilities: Extreme heat, health and well-being of older adults in Sunbelt cities in the United States
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-22) Dassah, Cornelius
Heat impacts vary disproportionately across geographic regions and social groups. Older adults in Sunbelt cities of the United States (US) are particularly vulnerable to localized urban warming, which threatens their health and well-being. Prevailing scientific evidence suggests that extreme heat events account for higher fatalities among older adults in the US compared to other extreme weather events. Despite existing studies on the impacts of extreme heat on older adults, limited research has addressed the specific socio-demographic, health-related conditions, and strategic coping factors influencing heat stress experiences among older urban populations. As part of a larger study examining heat and ozone-related risks in Sunbelt cities, this thesis adopts a retrospective cross-sectional study design, leveraging the strengths of mixed-methodology to examine predictors of heat stress and coping strategies among older adults in Los Angeles, Houston, and Phoenix. Utilizing a cross-sectional household survey data from 909 older adults in the three cities, the thesis sought to: (1) examine the factors affecting heat stress among older adults; and (2) explore coping strategies among older adults during extreme heat events. Qualitative data were generated from the open-ended survey questionnaire from 67 respondents across the three cities. Data was analyzed using thematic qualitative coding and multiple binary logistic regression analyses. The results reveal that marital status, income, respiratory diseases, physical activity, cool showers, and city of residence were significantly associated with a higher risk of experiencing heat stress. Also, older adults aged 80 and older were less likely to experience heat stress compared to their relatively younger counterparts. Further, the qualitative results uncovered a mix of heat-related coping behaviors adopted by older adults to protect themselves during extreme heat events. These results underscore the complex interplay of geographic, socio-demographic, behavioral and health-related factors affecting heat stress. The study makes important contributions to theory, policy and practice. First, the study contributes to the literature on the geographies of ageing and the relational processes that shape ageing across place, space and scale. Secondly, the study highlights the importance of integrating varied approaches within the geographies of health and healthcare, hence advancing the methodological diversity of the sub-discipline. Finally, the study underscores the need for policies aimed at strengthening social support for older adults, emergency heat risk warning awareness and public cooling systems in Sunbelt cities. The study recommends that urban health strategies should prioritize these demographics, fostering micro-level coping strategies to enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability to heat stress among older populations.
Drivers of Spatial Variation in Methane Emission and The Role of Vegetation in Methane Oxidation from Capped Landfills in Southern Ontario
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-17) Abewickrama Vidana Pathirana, Sandani Buddhima
Landfills are a major source of methane (CH₄), accounting for 24% of Canada’s total anthropogenic CH₄ emissions. This study investigates the environmental and meteorological factors driving temporal and spatial CH₄ flux variation and the role of vegetation in controlling CH₄ oxidation in landfill cover soils. This study was conducted across two capped landfill sections: the Original Landfill Area (OLA) (an older site without active gas collection system) and the Northern Expansion Area (NEA) (a relatively younger capped site with active gas collection) at a landfill in Southern Ontario. Both field data monitoring across the seasons and controlled incubation were carried out to critically assess CH₄ oxidation behavior in landfill cover soil by integrating vegetation treatments, environmental controls, and site specific controls. Field study revealed that the highest rate of CH₄ oxidation was observed with dry (<10%) and warmer (>25 °C) soil conditions between late summer and early fall, coinciding with reduced rainfall and higher air temperatures. CH₄ uptake was suppressed in wetter and colder conditions in winter and spring, correlating to cold and wetter soil conditions. Meteorological factors such as precipitation and air temperature significantly affected flux variations while wind speed and atmospheric pressure had a negligible impact. Presence of vegetation in landfill covers improved soil characteristics like bulk density, porosity, organic matter content, nitrate, phosphate, potassium and ammonium concentration, though it did not consistently alter the CH₄ fluxes. CH₄ fluxes were higher from the OLA’s cover soils with slightly elevated fluxes in vegetated soil, while comparably lower fluxes were observed from NEA’s cover soils, possibly due to its active gas collection system. Occasional CH₄ hotspots were observed, markedly at NEA even with active gas collection, suggesting localized structural failures in landfill cap or potential subsurface gas leaks. Quantified CH₄ oxidation rates on a per gram of cover soil basis indicated higher oxidation capacity in NEA, likely influenced by hotspots, providing favorable substrate supply to sustain efficient microbial CH₄ oxidation in the landfill cover. The incubation results demonstrated that optimal CH₄ oxidation occurred at 20–40% soil moisture and 25 °C under vegetated and non-vegetated soil covers while CH₄ consumption markedly declined at cool and hot thermal conditions (5 °C and 35 °C), and in soil with higher moisture content (60–80%), reflecting microbial sensitivity to O₂ restrictions and thermal stress. There was no significant vegetation effect, even under controlled incubation conditions, suggesting its influence may be indirect or more context specific (determined by soil structure and microclimate differences). These findings emphasize that vegetation alone cannot stand as a mitigation strategy, but it formed favorable soil characteristics for CH₄ oxidation. A complex interplay between cap maturity, soil physical and chemical conditions, gas transport, CH₄ and O₂ availability, microbial community activity, and weather conditions determined CH₄ dynamics in capped landfill covers across seasons. Adaptive landfill covers should be designed for proper moisture control through drainage to control excessive water retention, incorporating soil amendments rich with organic matter to enhance soil properties for gas diffusivity and microbial habitat to maximize CH₄ oxidation capacity of cover soil. Thus, passive CH₄ mitigation approaches should be combined with engineered infrastructure facilities such as gas extraction systems for better CH₄ mitigation in capped landfill covers. Results from this study will also contribute to national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for reporting and accounting and to the development of control strategies or policies towards Canada’s CH₄ emission reduction targets.
A Political Ecology of Wellbeing: The role of civil society organizations in supporting communities with limited access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Brazil
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-15) Curty Pereira, Rodrigo
Safe access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is key to human health and wellbeing. When populations lack or have limited access to WASH, they are at risk of contracting infectious diseases, suffering dehydration and malnutrition, developing musculoskeletal diseases, experiencing gender-based violence and conflict, and facing challenges to access other social determinants of health, such as health care and education. Regardless, billions of people lack access to safe WASH globally, mainly in low- and lower-middle income countries (LMICs). Nonetheless, historically marginalized groups in high income countries (HICs) and upper-middle income countries (UMICs) still face challenges to access WASH despite available financial and natural resources. In Brazil, the country with the largest supply of freshwater water and the 9th biggest economy in the world, 32 million people lack access to safe water and 89 million, to safe sanitation. The COVID-19 pandemic shone a spotlight on the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in creating and implementing solutions to access WASH as a way to halt the spread of the disease and offer relief aid to low-income communities that had their livelihoods affected by lockdowns and social distancing measures. Among other initiatives, CSOs around the world donated water and hand sanitizers, constructed communal wells and portable handwashing stations, and raised awareness about proper hygiene habits. Nevertheless, little is known about the way these organizations address WASH inequities, especially in UMICs, and how they support health equity-promoting practices in general. The overall purpose of this research is to examine the role of civil society organizations in promoting solutions to water, sanitation, and hygiene inequities in Brazil. The specific research objectives are: 1) to describe barriers and facilitators in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in low-income communities in Brazil, 2) to explore the impacts of water, sanitation, and hygiene inequities on the wellbeing of low-income communities in Brazil through political ecology of health, and 3) to investigate solutions to water, sanitation, and hygiene inequities implemented by civil society organizations in low-income communities in Brazil. Using an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach to research and informed by political ecology of health, I conducted a multisite case study in three municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (MRRJ), whose populations experience varying levels of access to WASH and support from CSOs. I interviewed leaders from local CSOs (n = 7) and led focus groups with residents of low-income communities (n = 24) in each municipality. Additionally, I visited the headquarters of partner CSOs, a local water treatment station, other affected communities, and attended meetings with local municipal governments. Interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed verbatim, translated from Portuguese to English, and analyzed through thematic analysis on NVivo. The results revealed common barriers in access to WASH in all communities, including frequent and long-lasting water shortages, contaminated drinking water, absence of sewage collection and treatment, and complications from severe weather events. WASH inequities affect several dimensions of participants’ wellbeing but most importantly, emotional health and sense of dignity, as they compared their living conditions to that of residents in other neighbourhoods as a consequence of persisting structural inequities. Finally, solutions to WASH inequities differ according to the level of resources and expertise offered by partner CSOs, revealing geographical inequities in access to funding and manpower between organizations located in the state capital and those in peripheral municipalities. This research makes contributions to the political ecology of health framework by proposing a political ecology of wellbeing through the contextual understanding of “wellbeing” and how WASH access affects low-income communities beyond physical and mental health. Additionally, this research advances the understanding of the complex role of local CSOs as intermediaries between decisionmakers, academics, and marginalized communities, capable of communicating the needs and wants of populations in a concise and representative manner and facilitating both short- and long-term equity-promoting action. Finally, this research contributes to the body of work on WASH inequities in HICs and UMICs, advancing the notion that certain marginalized populations are rendered invisible by global WASH data that ignores nuanced local inequities, such as the frequency and quality of WASH services. In conclusion, CSOs in Brazil promote short-term infrastructural WASH solutions, promote critically reflective dialogue about the distribution of environmental and social determinants of health and wellbeing, and act as intermediaries between powerful actors who decide what happens in the territory, e.g., local politicians, criminal groups, and WASH companies. CSO work can be scaled up if responsible authorities recognize their role as knowledge brokers and design policies considering context-specific needs and challenges for each community, while also supporting civil society organizations’ services to promote autonomy and agency among marginalized groups in the long term.
Tourism & Change: A Longitudinal Analysis on Lodge Development and Energy Consumption in Sagarmatha National Park
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-02) Manninger, Kaitlyn
Tourism in remote, high-altitude mountain areas presents complex challenges for sustainable development, particularly where there is limited energy infrastructure and environmental sensitivity. The tourism industry has an interdependent relationship with the economy, culture, and lifestyle of mountain communities. Within the industry, lodge accommodations and hotels are the most energy intensive components and are reflective of tourist activity because of their large economic value. Resource consumption within lodges can indicate changes within the socio-economic structure and development of destinations as they evolve to accommodate for tourism demand. This study examines longitudinal patterns of tourist lodge development and energy consumption in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNPBZ), Nepal. It aims to characterize how tourism interacts with infrastructure and resource use over time to establish a historical database of change over time. Using spatial data, lodge surveys, and semi-structured interviews with lodge owners, this thesis analyzes temporal and spatial trends in lodge development and energy consumption. Data from 1997, 2011, and 2024 were compared to identify long-term shifts and patterns. The results show significant growth in both lodge development and capacities, particularly along the Everest and Farak routes. Energy use has shifted towards alternative sources such as LPG and electricity, though traditional fuels remain common in higher altitude areas. Findings also suggest a growing dependence on tourism revenue for access to sustainable energy sources. This study situates SNPBZ between the development and consolidation stages of Butler’s Tourism Area Lifecycle model, with early signs of stagnation emerging. Inconsistencies in tourist flows and climate variability challenge the resilience of the park’s energy infrastructure and raise questions about carrying capacity and adaptive capacity. This research contributes a longitudinal, place-based perspective to the understanding of sustainable tourism development and energy transitions in high-altitude protected areas. The Government of Nepal should develop formal policy and regulation that supports community-based energy disaster and resilience planning while also considering tourism flows to properly align energy and tourist infrastructure development with revenues. Further research should investigate the supply side dynamics of resource management and the extent to which tourism may place additional pressure on surrounding areas outside of park boundaries. Keywords: Tourism Lodge development Energy consumption Sustainable Development Mountain Areas
Greenhouse gas fluxes from stormwater ponds and urban wetlands in southern Ontario
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-28) Withanage, Akshara Sandali Samarasuriya
Urban wetlands and stormwater ponds are an established component of stormwater management integrated with green infrastructure elements. The main aim of these developments is to serve as receptacles for stormwater runoff and mitigate the adverse impact of urbanization on water quality and quantity. While created for stormwater management, urban wetlands and stormwater ponds also provide essential ecosystem services, including sequestration of carbon and preservation of biodiversity while enhancing the aesthetic value of the surrounding environment. Despite these services, these small water bodies accumulate loads of organic matter and nutrients, which undergo different conditions (aerobic/anaerobic) and microbial processes, releasing significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Design specification and exposure to aspects of the urban environment may affect the amount of GHGs released. Hence, this study aimed to quantify GHG emissions from 24 distinct stormwater ponds and urban wetlands in the Kitchener- Waterloo region, Southern Ontario, over a seven-month period from May to November and assess the impact of selected environmental, physical and chemical parameters on these GHG emissions. The average daily fluxes across the sampling period were 760 mg CO2 m-2 d-1, 417 mg CH4 m-2 d-1, and 0.23 mg N2O m-2 d-1. Seasonal variation was evident for CO2 and CH4 fluxes, whereas N2O fluxes showed minimal seasonal variation. For CO2, significant predictors included water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved organic carbon and NO3- concentrations, and physical features, including sediment depth, pond depth, catchment area and dredging. Methane emissions were primarily driven by in-situ environmental variables, including water temperature, DO concentration and pH, while chemical and physical factors did not significantly influence CH4 fluxes. For N2O, key drivers included NO3- concentration, DO concentration, electrical conductivity and sediment depth. These findings highlight the complex and dynamic role of stormwater management facilities in GHG emissions and the importance of seasonal changes and abiotic factors in shaping emission patterns.
Hydroclimatic influence of seismic line disturbances based on field measurements and modelling across Alberta, Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-27) Bayatvarkeshi, Maryam
Geologic exploration for petroleum has resulted in a dense network of seismic lines—linear clearings—across the boreal forest, yet their effects on hydrometeorological conditions remain understudied. With a focus on peatland ecosystems, this study used a combination of field-based measurements and hydrological modelling (CoupModel) to investigate the impact of seismic lines on wintertime hydrometeorological conditions, summertime evapotranspiration (ET), and the annual water balance for study sites in Alberta, Canada. Winter assessments revealed that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was 1.8 times higher on seismic lines than in the adjacent forest understory, with greater negative net radiation (i.e., high outgoing radiation for the ground surface) also observed. Wind speeds on seismic lines during the unfrozen period were significantly elevated, 8 times higher at an east-west site and 7 times higher at a north-south site, compared to the adjacent undisturbed peatlands. Soil temperatures remained above freezing for seven days longer on the lines, suggesting thermal insulation effects caused by the deeper snowpack observed on the seismic lines. Snowpack dynamics captured by time-lapse photography across upland and peatland sites showed a 5 cm higher maximum snow depth on seismic lines, and a 3 cm greater average snow depth, though the latter was not statistically significant. Snow depth declined more rapidly on seismic lines, but with maximum depth reached five days later, snow-free conditions occurred one day later despite an ablation duration five days shorter than in undisturbed areas. Actual ET (AET) from the ground layer on seismic lines in peatlands was 59% and 14% higher than adjacent areas based on lysimeter and chamber measurements, respectively. Soil temperature, PAR, and plant composition were key drivers of chamber-based AET, while lysimeter-based AET was mainly influenced by PAR and wind speed. Potential ET (PET) was 51% higher on seismic lines, raising the Priestley-Taylor coefficient (α) from 0.61 to 0.73. While not directly measured, tree transpiration estimates from the literature were applied, which revealed that seismic line AET still surpassed that of adjacent areas with an intact tree cover by 31%. Comparing 1-D simulations for on and off seismic line conditions for peatlands from a process-based hydrological model (CoupModel) supported field-based findings, indicating higher soil moisture, temperature, and shallower groundwater depths on seismic lines. The simulated AET was 6% higher on the lines, largely driven by moss evaporation, which compensated for lost canopy transpiration. Despite higher ET, increased precipitation that reaches the ground surface and lateral flow led to 5 mm more water storage on seismic lines. Model sensitivity analysis revealed that an increase in soil compaction substantially elevated runoff, drainage, soil moisture, and storage. The seismic line had a greater difference in conditions from offline areas when peatland canopy LAI was greater; the undisturbed condition with higher LAI resulted in higher transpiration, and cooler soils. Overall, the findings illustrated that seismic line clearing results in measurable local changes in hydrological conditions; future research should explore the impact of seismic lines on the catchment scale to better understand the cumulative impact of these disturbances on hydrological processes in boreal ecosystems.
Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions on a peat stockpile in the northern Alberta Oil Sands Region
(University of Waterloo, 2025-08-19) Santia, Veronica
The Oil Sands Region (OSR) in Alberta, within Canada’s boreal forest, is a combination of three recognized oil deposits. The boreal forest in the OSR can reach peatland coverage of over 50%. Peatlands are natural carbon sinks through a net uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). The removal of peat for mining operations and the subsequent stockpiling of the peat under aerated conditions promote organic matter decomposition, potentially emitting significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Peat stockpiles in the oil sands can stand for decades, often with actively introduced vegetation on the surface, leaving the actual decomposition rates largely unknown. Some studies suggest that all carbon is lost from peat in stockpiles during the initial stripping and stockpiling process, and final use as reclamation soil. This research aims to improve our accounting of wetland soil carbon losses for national emissions reporting by evaluating the carbon emissions on a peat stockpile at an in-situ oil sands lease across different vegetation treatments, locations, and soil moisture contents. To evaluate peat decomposition and carbon emissions, a laboratory incubation with peat samples from the stockpile was conducted over 5 weeks, and in-field carbon fluxes were measured weekly over 4 months using the closed chamber technique for both CO2 and methane (CH4) exchange. The incubation study included peat samples from bare organic, fen, and grass locations on the stockpile. Different soil moisture contents, as well as the presence of roots, were analyzed. The interaction between soil moisture and root presence moderately affected respiration from the peat samples, with the fen sample respiring the most. However, CH4 flux was weakly affected by the same interaction. All wet samples (high soil moisture treatment) produced more CH4 than their dry counterparts. These results give some insight into how the in-field processes of soil moisture and vegetation presence may affect decomposition and respiration. To confirm these results, in-field flux measurements were conducted on the stockpile. Fluxing collars with intact vegetation, clipped vegetation, and trenching were set up along a transect to compare soil respiration and net ecosystem exchange. Each collar treatment was set up in four elevated, dry locations dominated by shrubs and grasses, and four depression locations, with high soil moisture and with mainly sedges present. Biomass was collected to determine the total addition of new organic matter. The net carbon balance of the stockpile treatments was estimated as the difference between soil respiration, CH4 flux, and carbon accumulation in biomass to determine how large a carbon source the stockpile has become. Results suggest no significant difference between stockpile locations (depressions vs elevations) for ecosystem respiration, gross ecosystem production, or net ecosystem exchange, but CH4 emissions were significantly higher at depressions on the top of the stockpile. Depression locations had a greater range in net ecosystem exchange, gross ecosystem production, and ecosystem respiration due to the dense vegetation at these locations and optimal soil moisture contents. The significant increase in CH4 flux at these wet locations, and the greater range in CO2 produced and consumed, align with the findings in the incubation experiment. However, the effects were more pronounced in the in-field data. Utilizing the flux data and the biomass data, the net carbon balance of the stockpile is approximately 539 g C m-2 yr-1. This value indicates that even after a standing duration of 6 years, the stockpile is still a large source of carbon to the atmosphere. All carbon was not lost during the initial construction processes, and serves to be a continuous carbon source in the future. Therefore, large peat stockpiles on oil sand leases have substantial implications for carbon emissions, and accurate emission reporting is needed. This study highlights the importance of studying peat stockpiles since they are large carbon sources and understudied overall. This data will be utilized for annual estimates of peat stockpile-related carbon losses, which will add to our limited knowledge of national-scale estimates of carbon losses from organic soils disturbed by oil sands operations and other infrastructure.
High-resolution Digital Terrain Modelling for Urban Flood Mapping with Deep Learning
(University of Waterloo, 2025-07-22) Tan, Weikai
The rising demand for high-resolution (HR) terrain modelling stems from the growing need for precise 3D geospatial data across various sectors where accurate models of the Earth's surface are vital, such as flood monitoring, environmental management, urban planning, and disaster response. The advancements of remote sensing technologies, especially the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and satellite and aerial imaging, offer the capability of producing an HR digital terrain model (DTM) with unprecedented precision to support those increasingly complex analytical and operational tasks, especially in dense urban environments. This thesis tackles three significant challenges in HR terrain modelling for urban flood mapping: 1) lack of geospatial datasets for terrain modelling, 2) underutilization of DTMs in near-real-time urban flood mapping, and 3) limited availability of HR DTM. First, an ultra-large-scale airborne LiDAR point cloud dataset for ground filtering (GF) named OpenGF was built upon open-access airborne laser scanning (ALS) data from four different countries around the world. This dataset covers nine different terrain scenes with three challenging complex test sets to encourage the development of 3D deep neural networks for HR digital terrain modelling. A series of experiments were conducted on OpenGF to evaluate the performance of deep learning (DL) networks on GF. Second, a novel near-real-time multi-sensory HR urban flood mapping framework was proposed. This method features a DTM upscaling method that produces HR DTM from low-resolution (LR) DTM with a fusion approach to reconstruct urban terrain details from HR optical imagery to support urban flood mapping. Meanwhile, a near-real-time visible flood water extraction and a Geographical Information System (GIS) tool were introduced to complete the urban flood mapping workflow. Third, an advanced image-guided DTM upscaling DL network was proposed to produce HR DTM from LR DTM and HR optical imagery with multi-task learning. This network simultaneously performs guided DTM upscaling and semantic segmentation of the HR optical imagery in urban environments. The network comprises an HR image guidance subnetwork that extracts high-level semantic features, and a DTM recovery subnetwork that enhances elevation details through multimodal feature fusion. This thesis also discusses the limitations of the proposed method and provides insights for future research on HR terrain mapping for environmental monitoring.
Development of Ecohydrological Processes on a Partially Removed Well Pad Undergoing Restoration to a Peatland on the Western Boreal Plain, Alberta, Canada
(University of Waterloo, 2025-07-09) McKinnon, Murdoch
Peatlands on the Western Boreal Plain have been disturbed at a landscape scale by industrial developments including those associated with the oil and gas industry. Among these disturbances are in-situ well pads, which are constructed to provide a stable base for oil and gas drilling and extraction infrastructure. In the province of Alberta, Canada, well pads must legally be returned to a state of ‘equivalent land capability’ after decommissioning. For well pads constructed in peatlands, equivalent land capability has recently been defined as including the reestablishment of a self-sustaining and peat accumulating vegetation community. One method proposed to reintroduce peatland vegetation (including peatland mosses) onto decommissioned well pads involves the partial removal of the mineral fill used to construct a well pad. Termed the ‘Partial Removal Technique,’ this approach aligns the reprofiled surface elevation of a pad with that of the water table in the surrounding peatland. Peatland vegetation propagules are then introduced onto the residual mineral substrate using a modified version of the established Moss Layer Transfer Technique. However, considerable uncertainty has remained surrounding the efficacy of the technique as a form of peatland restoration, as it had not yet been applied at the scale of a full-size well pad. Accordingly, a five-year ecohydrological study was undertaken following the first full-scale implementation of the Partial Removal Technique on a well pad. The subject well pad was located in a fen complex on the Western Boreal Plain near the town of Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. A series of field studies were undertaken to assess the extent to which the residual mineral substrate would support environmental conditions requisite for the initiation and establishment of a peatland vegetation community. Specific objectives addressed included characterization of the hydrophysical properties of the residual mineral fill and their effect on hydrological connectivity with an adjacent fen, and assessment of whether hydrological connectivity was sufficient to maintain a near-surface water table and optimal moisture availability to mosses across the entire site. The role of additional water balance terms in supporting near-surface water tables and water availability was also assessed, including quantification of snowmelt, vertical groundwater exchange, and evapotranspiration. Additionally, monitoring of the development of biogeochemical processes in the first five years post-partial removal was undertaken, including quantification of the rates of nutrient cycling and supply. The effects of microtopography and application of straw mulch and rock phosphate fertilizer on moisture and nutrient dynamics were also assessed. Results indicate that hydrological connectivity between the residual well pad and the adjacent fen was limited by the low hydraulic conductivity of the mineral fill and the compacted peat underlying it. Combined with rapid drainage from the mineral fill into the underlying peat following rainfall, this resulted in the water table being poorly regulated across just over half of the pad’s surface area. The deeper water tables observed in those areas were associated with non-optimal moisture availability to mosses (i.e., exceedance of literature desiccation thresholds), particularly in the late growing season when rainfall inputs were infrequent. Combined with high rates of water loss through evapotranspiration, it appears that much of the pad’s surface area is likely to be favourable for the establishment of only those mosses with a high desiccation tolerance. The establishment of a vegetation community characteristic of swamps may thus occur over the long term in areas that are hydrologically disconnected from the fen. Nonetheless, hydrological connectivity with the adjacent fen was sufficient to maintain a water table within 6 cm of the surface in areas located within approximately 20 to 30 metres of the upgradient pad edges. This water table depth was associated with optimal water supply at the surface for moss survival and growth. As such, the establishment of a peatland true moss community is likely to be supported across just under half of the pad’s surface area. Snowmelt may also have provided a large source of water in the early season, although additional study is required to determine the extent to which snowmelt may be lost from the pad as overland flow. Surface runoff from an upland feature constructed out of the excess mineral fill produced during the partial removal process did not constitute an appreciable source of water to the pad. Nutrient cycling and availability demonstrated limited spatial variability across the residual well pad. Owing to the high cation content of the calcareous residual mineral fill, cation supply rates were sufficiently high to further increase the likelihood of peatland true moss establishment in areas with optimal substrate moisture availability. However, low rates of nitrogen production and a low ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus supply rates indicate that productivity of the vegetation community on the residual pad may be nitrogen limited. This may change over time, as a layer of organic litter was observed to accumulate on the surface of the residual well pad during the study. This is likely to result in increased rates of decomposition, and thus also of nutrient mineralization over time. Combined, the results of this thesis indicate that there is a need to increase horizontal hydrological connectivity with adjacent peatlands in future implementations of the Partial Removal Technique. This may improve the availability of moisture across a greater proportion of the surface area of residual well pads, while also ensuring the long-term development of anaerobic biogeochemical processes. Additional work is also required to reduce water losses in the form of both vertical drainage from residual mineral substrates and evapotranspiration from the surfaces of residual well pads. Overall, the Partial Removal Technique appears to have promise as a strategy to create favourable environmental conditions for the initiation and establishment of peatland mosses on decommissioned well pads.
Comparison of Flow Path Mapping Between Unreal Engine and ArcGIS: The Potential Role for Game Engines in GIScience
(University of Waterloo, 2025-07-09) Fang, Amerald
Advances in the videogame industry, particularly game engines, offer promising, unconventional tools for processing spatial data and representing complex geographical processes through integrated physics. This thesis explores the potential of using Unreal Engine (UE) as a multi-disciplinary platform for combining simulation models from the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with GIS. We present a case study implementing a fluid simulation workflow using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and quantitatively compare its results to conventional flowpath mapping methods (D8). A multi-spatial resolution raster comparison revealed that the UE model produced flow paths with a similar length to traditional methods, but with fine-scale disagreements on where flow occurs. The vector path analysis found that the UE model produced more but shorter paths than the D8. The comparison highlights the viability of game engines for dynamic simulation and suggests extensions to broader geocomputation applications such as erosion modelling. Moreover, this research demonstrates how leveraging game engine capabilities can contribute to a more integrative evolution of GIScience.
Developing an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to Explore the Geographic Redistribution of Snowmobilers During a Record Warm Winter
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-20) Rubiano, Mave
Canada's snowmobile industry is the second largest market in the world, with Ontario generating over $3 billion in economic activity and supporting over 10,000 full time jobs. Inter-annual climate variability and record warm winters have underscored the vulnerability of the industry, which is predicated on natural snowfall and low temperatures to support over 100,000 riders across the 33,000 kilometers network of trails. However, critical regional and methodological gaps limit our understanding of the vulnerability of snowmobiling to both current conditions and projected climate change, with no available research that empirically explores the dynamic relationship between supply- and demand-side responses to marginal climatic conditions. The presented research develops an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate how trail availability influences the spatial redistribution of snowmobilers across Ontario. Using the record warm 2023/2024 winter season as a climate analogue, the ABM was informed by a geospatial analysis of trail network availability (i.e., supply-side vulnerability) and the results from an online survey of snowmobilers' (n=161) (i.e., demand-side vulnerability). Results from the geospatial analysis revealed significant trail closures across the province, with 14 districts having ≤5% trail availability in December followed by an early end to the season (≤1% of trails available in March). Survey findings revealed that 90.4% reducing riding frequency in response to trail closures, but strong willingness to travel (e.g., 61.5% travelled to alternative trails outside their preferred district due to closures, averaging 239.8km for day trips and 861.1km for overnight trips). The ABM simulated the movement of 1,000 snowmobiler agents across the 16 districts, resulting in significant redistribution patterns that underscore differential climate risks, such that some districts gained market share (e.g., Districts 1 and 3) while others incurred substantial losses (e.g., Districts 11 and 6). Collectively, the results suggest the future of snowmobiling in Ontario may involve substantial geographical shifts rather than outright market collapse, with important implications for tourism planning and rural economic development in a warming world.
“You don’t expect a man to make good policies that affect women’s health”: Exploring barriers and opportunities to gender transformative policymaking and programming in Ghana’s health and WaSH sectors.
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-18) Meho-Akakpo, Pascal
Gender inequality is a prevailing global issue, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a region highly influenced by patriarchal structures. Gender, a socially constructed concept that encompasses the roles, behaviors, customs, norms, and characteristics identified with men and women, significantly influences life choices, including those associated with health and wellbeing. In an attempt to perform socially ascribed gender roles in SSA relating to Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH), women's health and wellbeing are substantially, typically adversely, impacted. Despite efforts by policymakers and other stakeholders to address gender inequalities in health and WaSH these issues persist. These efforts have been criticized for either lacking a gender focus and/or not deliberately addressing the root causes of gender inequalities or often only focusing on infrastructure access. There have been calls to adopt the Gender Integration Framework (GIF)1 to assess how gender policies address gender norms and inequalities from policy formulation to implementation, and the impacts of these policies in transforming harmful gender norms. Ghana has made progress in formulating gender-related policies and programs in both the health and WaSH sectors; however, gender inequalities persist, especially in rural communities. While research has begun to examine gender-transformative policymaking in the health and WaSH sectors, there has been a limited focus on the perspectives of stakeholders to ascertain their level of awareness of gender-transformation and the opportunities in adopting gender-transformative approaches to address these challenges on the ground. Through a qualitative case-study research design, the thesis begins to fill this gap by exploring stakeholders' knowledge and perspectives about gender transformation as well as identifying barriers and opportunities to gender transformative policymaking and programming in Ghana's health and WaSH sectors. Specifically, the research addressed the following objectives: (1) To explore stakeholders' knowledge and perspectives of gender transformative policymaking and programming in Ghana; (2) To identify barriers to gender transformative policymaking and programming across Ghana's health WaSH sectors. (3) To explore the opportunities within existing government policies to break down barriers to women's empowerment in WaSH. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (n=30) in three districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana were conducted from July to August 2024. Participants were purposely sampled from government agencies (n=11), civil service organizations (n=7), and community leaders (n=12). Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim for subsequent thematic analysis. The results revealed a significant awareness among stakeholders regarding gender-transformative policymaking and programming in Ghana's health and WaSH sectors. This awareness is attributed to their educational status and/or experience in gender-related fields. Despite the awareness, the findings showed a lack of consensus on what gender transformation entails, as stakeholders approach gender-transformative policymaking and programming based on their institutional goals and visions. Participants also revealed institutional and community-level barriers impeding the full potential of gender transformative policies and programs; these included, at the community level: socio-cultural, financial, logistics, monitoring and evaluation, and corruption. Institutional barriers included: bureaucracy, political commitment, women’s representation, and consultation. The National Health Insurance Scheme, Community-based Health and Planning Services, Community Water and Sanitation Program, and Mother-to-Mother Support Initiative were identified as existing gender-transformative policies and programs with significant potential to transform harmful gender norms and empower women. The results of this thesis research contribute to the broader discussion on gender-transformative policies and programming and their potential to address gender inequalities in health and WaSH. They also contribute to the evidence of the shortfalls of the identified gender-transformative policies and programs, which can inform policy and practice review. Future research that can build on these results includes women empowerment in WaSH, gender norms and gender-based violence, among others.
Game Plan for a Warmer World: Assessing the Climate Change Readiness of National-Level Canadian Sport Organizations
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-17) Simoes, Kyara
Climate change is increasingly affecting sports, with warming temperatures and extreme weather events disrupting training and competition schedules, heightening health risks for athletes, coaches, and spectators (e.g., heat-related illnesses), as well as damaging sports infrastructure (e.g., flooded fields). At the same time, many sports and sports tourism are carbon intensive, prompting growing commitments to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. This study applies a structured content analysis, guided by an adapted climate policy integration (CPI) framework, to assess the climate change readiness of national-level Canadian sport organizations (n=86), including Sport Canada, Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs), and National Sport Organizations (NSOs). The integration of climate or environmental considerations into sport governance is critical for supporting the sector’s transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient operations. However, an analysis of official documents and websites found that the climate responses of national-level Canadian sport organizations are fragmented and insufficient, with 29.1% of organizations referencing climate change or environmental sustainability across any communication platform, 19.8% disclosing mitigation or adaptation initiatives, and only 3.5% showing alignment with international climate policy, such as the UN Sport for Climate Action Framework. It is argued that sport organizations must embed climate objectives into strategic planning, strengthen alignment with national climate policy, and build capacity for implementation. This transition should be supported by federal leadership, access to guidance and sector-specific resources, as well as international climate frameworks and best practices in sport sustainability.
Understanding experiences of women’s empowerment through WASH/cash transfers toward post-COVID-19 recovery in Ghana
(University of Waterloo, 2025-06-13) Jebuni, Julius
cash transfers water, sanitation, and hygiene social norms women's empowerment water security covid-19

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