Environmental Governance Lab

What Environmental Governance Lab does

The Environmental Governance Lab (EGL) is an academic research center housed in the Department of Political Science and the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. It was founded in 2007 and operates as a home for research, a node in global networks on environmental governance and transformative policy, and a platform for knowledge exchange with practitioners, policy makers, and the public. The lab is led by three co-directors — Distinguished Professor Steven Bernstein, Professor Matthew Hoffmann, and Associate Professor Teresa Kramarz — supported by a lab coordinator (a PhD candidate), 30-plus affiliated faculty from top international institutions, and five student research assistants. EGL is a designated Research Centre of the Earth System Governance Project, the world's largest social science research network on governance and global environmental change.

EGL's portfolio consists of academic research projects rather than commercial products. Its substantive work includes SSHRC-funded projects on Transformative Policy Pathways to Decarbonization, the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative, Global Institutional Coherence for Sustainable Development Governance, the Governance and Legitimacy of Carbon Markets, Accountability in Global Environmental Governance (including the AGEG Task Force co-directed by Kramarz with Susan Park at the University of Sydney), Fracking and Energy Politics, and Governing the Supply of Minerals for Renewable Energy. Knowledge products include peer-reviewed publications with Cambridge University Press and MIT Press, working papers, a speculative fiction magazine titled "We Did It!? A Future History of Net Zero in Canada," and collaborative events such as the March 2026 double book launch co-hosted with the Lawson Climate Institute and the University of Toronto Department of Economics.

EGL does not operate a commercial business model. Funding flows from SSHRC research grants for specific projects and from institutional support through the University of Toronto, with no pricing model, no product sales, and no private equity or venture capital involvement. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on academic networks, knowledge exchange events, an email listserv, social media channels (LinkedIn and X), and earned media including CBC News and Radio Ecoshock. Partnerships include the Earth System Governance Project, the Erasmus+ funded TANDEM Jean Monnet Network (a 20-institution transatlantic consortium coordinated by KU Leuven), Yale's Governance, Environment and Markets Initiative, and the Leverhulme Network on Transnational Climate Governance.

Name

Environmental Governance Lab

Legal name

Environmental Governance Lab

Website

https://envirogovlab.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Environmental Governance Lab is a University of Toronto academic research center that produces open-access research on climate policy, carbon markets, and transnational environmental governance for scholars, policymakers, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Policy Research

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities (926130)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Energy, Utilities & Natural Resources Regulators (BPAIAOAJ), State/Provincial Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration (BPAIABAL)

Keywords

• Environmental governance research
• Climate policy analysis
• Sustainability scholarship
• Decarbonization policy
• Transnational governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto, ON

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: The lab receives SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council) funding for various research projects including Transformative Policy Pathways to Decarbonization, 100 Resilient Cities Initiative, Global Institutional Coherence, and Carbon Markets governance research.
2. University Support: The EGL is housed at the Department of Political Science and the School of the Environment at the University of Toronto, with support as a Research Centre of the Earth System Governance Project.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Environmental Governance Lab is an academic research institution within the University of Toronto that conducts rigorous research on environmental governance challenges and develops new ideas and policy tools to address them. It serves as a hub for knowledge exchange among academics, policy makers, and the broader public, and coordinates affiliated faculty, graduate students, and partner research networks such as the Earth System Governance Project, TANDEM, AGEG, and EEPRN. All research outputs are freely disseminated; the lab does not sell products or services and is supported through research grants and donations.

Product overview

The Environmental Governance Lab is an academic research institution at the University of Toronto, not a commercial technology company. It operates as a platform for environmental governance research and knowledge exchange rather than offering commercial products. Its portfolio consists of research publications, collaborative research projects, and knowledge products including: the 'We Did It!?' speculative fiction magazine exploring net zero futures, the TANDEM transatlantic research network, and multiple SSHRC-funded research projects on decarbonization policy, carbon markets, accountability in global environmental governance, resilient cities, and minerals governance for renewable energy. These are academic research initiatives rather than commercial software products or services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• We Did It!? A Future History of Net Zero in Canada: A speculative fiction magazine that exists in an imagined 2050 where Canada has achieved its net zero carbon emissions goal. The stories explore different aspects of how Canada got to net zero, what life in the net zero world looks like, and the work still left to be done.

Products and services

• We Did It!? A Future History of Net Zero in Canada A speculative-fiction publication by the Environmental Governance Lab that imagines a future history of Canada achieving net zero, used as a creative engagement tool to broaden public conversation about environmental governance and net-zero pathways.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Earth System Governance ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EGL is a Research Centre of the Earth System Governance Project — the world's largest social science research network in governance and global environmental change. Profs. Bernstein and Hoffmann serve as lead faculty in this global network with headquarters in Amsterdam and International Projects Office in Lund, Sweden.
• TANDEM (Transatlantic Network for Dialogue, Education and Multidisciplinary Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Jean Monnet Network funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Academic network of 20 higher education institutions from Europe (6), the United States (7+2 associated partners), and Canada (5). Coordinated by Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at KU Leuven in Belgium. EGL participates as a Canadian partner institution.
• Accountability in Global Environmental Governance (AGEG) Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA research network established in 2014, one of the main task forces of the Earth System Governance Project. Co-directed by Prof. Teresa Kramarz (University of Toronto) and Prof. Susan Park (University of Sydney). Runs workshops, panels, roundtables, and sessions at International Studies Association and Earth Systems Governance conferences.
• Environmental Economics and Policy Research Network (EEPRN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSHRC-funded Canadian research network of 60 academics and practitioners, facilitated by the University of Ottawa and the University of Calgary. Profs. Bernstein and Hoffmann participate in this network.
• Governance, Environment and Markets (GEM) Initiative at Yale UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Benjamin Cashore at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prof. Bernstein is a faculty associate. Cashore is a research team member for EGL's decarbonization project.
• Leverhulme Network on Transnational Climate GovernancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch network funded by the Leverhulme Foundation from 2008-2011, including 16 climate governance scholars from around the world. Headed up by Harriet Bulkeley at Durham University, a research team member for EGL's decarbonization project. Prof. Hoffmann participates in this network.
• Lawson Climate InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with EGL to co-host a double book launch featuring Dr. Minh Do (University of Guelph) and Dr. Amy Janzwood (McGill University) on March 27, 2026.
• University of Toronto Department of EconomicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted a double book launch with EGL and Lawson Climate Institute on March 27, 2026, examining the politics of environmental governance in Canada.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): A leading European research institute studying climate impacts, Earth-system analysis, and governance pathways. Comparable to EGL as an academic research entity generating evidence for climate and sustainability policy.
• LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment: A university-based research institute producing policy-relevant research on climate change mitigation and governance. Directly comparable to EGL's remit of academic research informing environmental policy.
• Stockholm Resilience Centre: An internationally leading academic research centre focused on resilience and sustainability governance, comparable to EGL as a university-affiliated research hub producing interdisciplinary scholarship on environmental governance and Earth-system change.
• MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy: A university-affiliated research center focused on sustainability science and strategic policy responses. Comparable to EGL as an academic platform producing governance-relevant sustainability research.
• Utrecht University Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development: A leading European university research institute on sustainable development, energy, and environmental governance. Directly comparable to EGL as a university-affiliated hub for interdisciplinary sustainability research.
• Yale School of the Environment — Governance, Environment and Markets (GEM) Initiative: A Yale-based research initiative led by Benjamin Cashore studying sustainability governance, to which EGL Co-Director Steven Bernstein is a faculty associate. Directly comparable in mandate and closely linked through the decarbonization project.
• University of Cambridge Centre for Climate, Energy and Environmental Policy: A Cambridge-based research centre studying climate, energy, and environmental policy. Directly comparable to EGL in scope of environmental governance and climate policy research.
• Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability: A university-based policy research institute addressing energy and environmental challenges. Comparable to EGL in producing academic research that informs environmental governance and policy.

Regional players

• Tsinghua University Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development: A major Chinese university research institute on climate change and sustainable development. Comparable to EGL in producing academic climate-governance research, but operates in a distinct geography (China) from EGL's primary Canadian base.

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: A large, established university research center covering science, international affairs, and environmental policy. Comparable to EGL in producing academic policy research, but with significantly broader scope and resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/envirogovlab?lang=el
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/environmental-governance-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Environmental Governance Lab