Did you know that Canada is at the helm of developing international environmental management standards? Last week, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) welcomed delegates from around the world to Toronto for the ISO Environmental Management International Plenary 2025.

ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, is a non-governmental organization that develops and publishes international standards for systems, products and services to ensure quality, safety and efficiency. It is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization’s mission is to make lives easier, safer, and better by providing voluntary, consensus-based, market-relevant international standards. 

Under the theme “Innovation. Integration. Impact.” the plenary brought together technical experts, policy leaders and industry representatives from over 130 countries to shape the next generation of standards—including those supporting the transition to Net Zero and Natural Capital Accounting.

Mission Impossible? How to regulate AI

Olivier Blais, co-founder and VP of AI at Moov AI kicked off his keynote on October 31 with some staggering stats: “Chat GPT is used 2.5 billion times per day,” said Blais. “Just to keep the lights on it takes the energy of a city of 100,000 inhabitants.”

According to Blais, ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI models has highlighted an opportunity for Canada: a chance to position itself as a leader in the development of AI-driven technologies. This is particularly true in Quebec, he said, which boasts a strong and growing ecosystem of entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators.

In the field of AI, 33 standards have already been published to ensure the quality, security, and interoperability of AI systems. Canada was actually a pioneer in developing the ISO/IEC 42001 standard, a flagship standard.

Adopting international standards also aligns Canada with global best practices, facilitating collaboration with other countries. This is crucial for enabling local businesses to export their solutions.

“AI is a good thing for humanity and is being used to assess deforestation, and to analyze the effect of climate change,” he explained. “But there is the risk of greenwashing, and the AI industry needs to be better from an environmental standpoint.”

He calls for more participation from companies and users and points to AI standards that implement environmental sustainability. “Let’s keep a positive mindset and take into consideration that AI is here to stay and can evolve.”


AI at the intersection of innovation and integration

Taki Sarantakis, President of the Canada School of Public Service, moderated a panel of innovators from the agrifood, transportation, water, and energy sectors to examine how innovation can be responsibly scaled through standards, data governance, and cross-sector collaboration to advance national and global sustainability goals.

Dr. Andres Ferreyra has developed technology solutions for over three decades, including work for Ag Connections, a farm management information system company. He moved to a global role in Syngenta, where he led the implementation of IoT data at scale. He is an advocate for developing interoperability standards for the industry. Ferreyra recently led standardization groups in ISO for smart farming, and he now chairs the new ISO Technical Committee TC 347 on data-driven agrifood systems.

Aleksandra Todorovic of JAZ Analytics discussed the benefits of digital tech for sustainable rail systems in predicting – and helping to avert – possible disaster due to flooding and extreme heat. She highlighted the benefits of analytics when it comes to “diagnostic, descriptive and productive data integration” and the many possibilities of having accurate digital twin modelling. “AI is changing the culture of how we make decisions and adapt human behaviours. These applications are forcing very old industries to try to adapt. There’s more pressure to drive evidence-based solutions and that’s a good thing.”

Cheryl Trent of WSP Canada also emphasized the challenges associated with increasing floods and wildfires and how integrating digital solutions for sustainable sater and energy management can significantly save resources and cut costs. “Data integration and standards have a critical role in natural disaster response,” said Trent, who pointed to the $880 million price tag of the 2023 Jasper wildfire. Outdated systems are a barrier to resilience and sustainability.”

According to Trent, the “power of data governance establishes standards and protocols and ensures interconnectedness and responsible data practices.” She pointed to the opportunities of AI to improve the National Integrated Emergency Response System and to support advanced distribution management systems for automated reporting of carbon and compliance, especially in light of grid modernization.

“Collaboration isn’t just about data integration or interoperability, it’s about aligning purpose, governance and trust. The most resilient systems are those where everyone works from the same, transparent data foundation,” concluded Trent. “Connected, secure and standards-driven ecosystems are vital for Canada’s water and energy future.”

Communication needed for climate resiliency and adaptation

“How do we move from data to decisions?” asked Todd Latham, President of Actual Media Inc. (parent company of Environment Journal), who moderated the panel on “Climate Resilience with Big Data.” Latham criticized the use of the terms “Responsible AI” and “Sustainable Environment” as settling for status quo. He encouraged participants to focus on innovative approaches for optimal solutions.

Panelists examined how AI, big data, and advanced forecasting tools are transforming the way societies anticipate, prepare for, and respond to climate risks. They shared practical examples of how tech is being applied across research, policy, and service delivery to strengthen resilience, while also addressing the governance and data challenges that arise.

“Climate resilience requires integration across science, technology, and practice. We need to prevent work in silos and include expert judgments with intersectoral scientific background and integrated vision,” said Philippe Gachon from the University of Quebec.

Blair Feltmate from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation boldly pointed to our dire situation: “Climate change is irreversible.” He provided compelling points about how standards and guidelines can help—if they are credible, transparent, and scalable. He emphasized areas for improvement, calling for decision-makers to provide more user-friendly, accessible data, and to communicate these important messages on climate adaptation more widely.

“Canada’s key mistake on climate change is a lack of appreciation on the need to act with urgency on adaptation,” said Blair, who explained that big data can help with forecasting and alerting the public. “We have known solutions to known problems, but we’re not applying them fast enough.”

When asked what the panelists would recommend to Evan Solomon, Canada’s new Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, Belen Suarez of Go To Innovation didn’t mince her words: “Start thinking big! Apply systemic thinking, have long term vision and be ambitious. And most importantly, let’s collaborate internationally for the sake of the ecosystem. We need to do a little less talking and a lot more doing.”

The future of environmental standards

The ISO Plenary 2025 marked a major milestone in advancing global environmental governance, including the new ISO Net Zero standard and updates to cornerstone ISO environmental standards. At the heart of ISO’s environmental work is the ISO Environmental Management Technical Committee (ISO/TC 207), which develops standards that support organizations in minimizing their environmental footprint and enhancing resilience to environmental risks.

The committee’s flagship series, ISO 14000, provides globally recognized frameworks for environmental management systems, climate action, life cycle assessment, and sustainable finance, among other critical areas. These standards play a crucial role in guiding industries and governments toward greener economies, aligning environmental responsibility with economic growth.

The Canadian Future Project: Youth leaders Arman Velani, Nathalie Marshall, and Nyah Wagner, and mentor SCC’s Zakiah Kassam, chair of the ISO Environmental Management Technical Committee (ISO/TC 207), discussed a framework for intergenerational equity, a team effort over the past year. The presenters highlighted a compelling framework for assessing climate change, to maintain a constant quality of life across generations, while distributing the burden of damage cost and transition cost across various generations. The framework can help decision makers consider intergenerational equity, with a model that takes into account quality of life, a QoL Proxy (with real GDP per capita), tipping points, and inherited burdens.

For further information about the SCC plenary, visit: www.scc-ccn.ca

Featured image: ISO – International Organization for Standardization Secretary-General Sergio Mujica (centre) to Toronto for the 2025 ISO Environmental Management Plenary with SCC CEO Chantal Guay and ISO Chair Zakiak Kassam. Credit: SCC.