A billboard touting a potential benefit of climate change paid for by the University of Alberta has some of the school's faculty speaking out against the ad, and the school's decision to purchase it in the first place.

"In lieu of some statement of solidarity with the (Global Climate Strike)… we get this. We get this billboard," said Laurie Adkin, a University of Alberta political science professor.

The billboard, a picture of which was posted to Reddit on Tuesday, reads, "Beefier barley. Climate change will boost Alberta's barley yield with less water, feeding more cattle."

The ad is a part of the school's "Truth Matters" campaign, and references a 2017 study that concluded Alberta's beef industry will benefit from a rise in temperature and humidity.

The research appears to be less disputed than its marketing.

On Thursday, the school's dean of the faculty of agriculture, life and environmental sciences also tweeted, "I cannot, and will not, defend the messaging put forward by the @UAlberta team responsible for the Truth Matters initiative."

 

Adkin added, "There are hundreds and hundreds of publications at the university they could have chosen from. Any of which would have spoken to climate change as a serious issue for Alberta—but they didn't choose those."

On Thursday, the school made a public statement addressing the controversy.

"Research is always complicated; the problems and issues being explored are complex and multifaceted. By asking why, and what, and how, our researchers follow where the evidence leads. Different, even divergent, approaches are pursued by researchers across the University of Alberta; this is necessary work, even when it challenges expectations and assumptions," reads part of the statement, attributed to Vice President of University Relations, Jacqui Tam.

"How society will adapt to climate change is a key global challenge. The research this ad highlights is important and one of many lines of inquiry being pursued at the University of Alberta."

The school has not responded to requests for comment.

With a report from CTV Edmonton's Dan Grummett