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By on July 11th, 2018

The Expert Panel on Prioritizing Climate Change Risks

We are proud to announce the Executive Director of ACT, Deborah Harford will be a member of The Expert Panel on Prioritizing Climate Change Risks, directed by the Council of Canadian Academies. The Treasury Board Secretariat has asked the Council of Canadian Academies to examine the top climate change risks facing both Canada and the federal government.

Dr. John Leggat will chair the multidisciplinary, multisectoral panel composed of individuals with expertise, experience, and demonstrated leadership in the natural sciences, social sciences, health sciences, engineering, government and policy, and economics and industry. The Expert Panel will address the following assessment question: What are the top climate change risks facing both Canada and the federal government, and their relative significance, and which have the most potential to be minimized by adaptation measures?

The expert panel is comprised of 8 members;

L. John Leggat, FCAE (Chair), former Assistant Deputy Minister, Science and Technology, Department of National Defence
Elizabeth Beale, former President and CEO, Atlantic Provinces Economic Council; Commissioner, Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission; and Associate, Harris Centre for Regional Policy, Memorial University
Pierre Gosselin, Consulting Physician, Quebec National Public Health Institute; Clinical Professor, Université Laval and Institut national de la recherche scientifique; Coordinator Health, Ouranos
Bronwyn Hancock, Associate Vice-President Research Development, Yukon College
Deborah Harford, Executive Director, ACT (the Adaptation to Climate Change Team), Simon Fraser University
Paul Kovacs, Executive Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Barry Smit, O.Ont., FRSC, Professor Emeritus, Geography, University of Guelph
Roger B. Street, Research Fellow, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

For more information on The Expert Panel on Prioritizing Climate Change Risks see here.

ACT News • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Extreme Weather • Population Displacement • Water Governance
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By on July 09th, 2018

(Aug 24) Stewardship Roundtable 2018

The Stewardship Centre for BC and Bird Studies Canada, in collaboration with the 27th International Ornithological Congress (IOCongress 2018), the Vancouver International Bird Festival (VIBF 2018), and partners, are convening a Stewardship Roundtable 2018 on Friday, August 24 – a forum and showcase of innovative practices championed in our province and beyond. The Executive Director of ACT, Deborah Harford, will be assisting in the Climate Adaptation for Birds and Wildlife session.

The day will be devoted to learning and sharing ideas for action on pressing issues in ecological stewardship. Participants will hear how citizens, local governments, conservation organizations, and stewardship practitioners are meeting the challenges of sustaining environmental health in their communities. Panel presentations, World Café style discussions, storytelling, and networking will all contribute to the development of next step action plans on six theme topics.

  1. Climate adaption for birds and wildlife
  2. Cats and birds living in harmony
  3. Urban Habitat for Wildlife and Birds
  4. Wildlife Management Areas/Important Bird Areas and shorelines
  5. Birds and building collisions
  6. Co-benefits of agricultural lands as bird habitats

Friday, August 24, 2018
8:45 AM – 4:30 PM – Stewardship Roundtable (registration open soon)
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Stewardship Poster and Networking Session (free with Roundtable tickets)
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Birds of a Feather (open to the public – tickets available soon)
Location: Vancouver Convention Centre West Building, 1055 Canada Place Way, Vancouver

The Stewardship Roundtable 2018 agenda is available here.

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Extreme Weather
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By on July 06th, 2018

(Oct 15-21) Global Climate Change Week

 

 

 

 

Global Climate Change Week will be taking place this from October 15th to 21st. Global Climate Change Week (GCCW) aims to encourage academic communities – including academics, students, and non-academic staff at universities – in all disciplines and countries to engage with each other, their communities, and policy makers on climate change action and solutions. Held annually in October, GCCW provides an open-ended framework for voluntary activities aimed at raising awareness, inspiring behaviour change, and driving political transformation in relation to climate policy.

For general examples of activities to pursue during GCCW see here!

For examples of GCCW activities organized in 2016 see here!

If you are interested in hosting a GCCW event at your University see here!

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Extreme Weather • Population Displacement • Sea Level Rise • Water Governance
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By on July 06th, 2018

Adaptation Futures 2018: Plenary Videos

The full-length videos of the 3 plenaries from the Adaptation Futures 2018 conference are now available online.

Adaptation Futures 2018, the fifth in the Adaptation Futures international conference series on global adaptation, was recently held in Cape Town, South Africa from 18 to 21 June. The conference aimed to facilitate dialogues for solutions between key actors from diverse perspectives and regions and attracted over 1300 scientists, practitioners, business leaders and policymakers from around the world.  Over 160 innovative and participatory sessions were held. Delegates were able to view the responses of local artists to the realities of climate change, as well as join in the Community Kraal, which focused on the lived experiences of climate change. The Adaptation Expo showcased the work of 24 organizations actively involved in responding to climate change.  Over 130 volunteers from local based organizations contributed their time and skills to making the conference run smoothly.

The conference themes were:

  1. Adaptation and Development
  2. South-South and South-North knowledge and learning
  3. Interaction of climate adaptation with 21st century challenges
  4. Modes of collaboration, knowledge co-production and research into use
  5. Financing of adaptation and climate resilient development
  6. Learning from doing

You can see the video here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Crops & Food Supply • New Technologies • Population Displacement
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By on June 29th, 2018

Measuring Progress on Adaptation and Climate Resilience: Recommendations to the Government of Canada

ACT’s Executive Director, Deborah Harford, is a member of the Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience, launched by Environment and Climate Change Canada in August 2017 to advise the Government of Canada on measuring overall progress on adaptation and climate resilience.  The Panel was asked to recommend a suite of indicators to measure progress on adaptation and climate resilience in Canada. The recommended indicators were to align with the five key areas of action identified under the adaptation and climate resilience pillar of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Canada’s national plan to address climate change, build resilience, and grow the economy. It is under this framework that the Expert Panel, following an ambitious, eight-month process of discussion and deliberation, proposes a suite of 54 indicators across the following five chapters:

Protecting and Improving Human Health and Well-Being, focused on the key determinants of health as
they relate to climate change impacts, and objectives and indicators that could be used to monitor and
evaluate progress toward increasing the resilience of people, communities, and health practitioners to a
broad range of health impacts associated with climate change;

Supporting Particularly Vulnerable Regions, focused on Canada’s northern, coastal, and remote regions
and objectives and indicators to measure the resilience of these particularly vulnerable regions to slowonset
climate change impacts (e.g., permafrost thaw, coastal erosion);

Reducing Climate-Related Hazards and Disaster Risks, focused on objectives and indicators related to
reducing impacts from rapid-onset climate-related events (e.g. floods, wildfires and other events), aligned
with the four components of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery;

Building Climate Resilience through Infrastructure, focused on objectives and indicators to measure the
resilience of Canada’s traditional, cultural, and natural infrastructure, new and existing infrastructure,
critical and non-critical infrastructure, and the interdependencies of its infrastructure systems; and

Translating Scientific Information and Indigenous Knowledge into Action, focused on objectives and
indicators related to the respectful consideration and use of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and science to
co-develop information related to climate change impacts, build the capacity of Canadians to act on this
information, and mobilize action on adaptation.

 

See the full report here.

Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Crops & Food Supply • Energy • Extreme Weather • Featured • Health Risks • Water Governance
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By on June 28th, 2018

Professionals’ Best Practice for Low Carbon Resilience

In the spring of 2018, ACT (the Adaptation to Climate Change Team) at SFU hosted a series of three meetings with professionals and professional associations (provincial and national) to engage participants in discussion about the role of professionals and associations in championing and advancing Low Carbon Resilience (LCR) approaches. The objectives of these sessions were to:

• Give an overview of the ACT LCR project and its process
• Learn about the concept of LCR
• Discuss LCR demands on professionals & the roles of professional associations
• Explore potential cross-cutting and profession-specific needs or approaches

Participants were invited into facilitated discussions that explored demands faced by different professions when integrating LCR into their areas of work. They also considered the similarities and differences across professional associations, and between provincial and national associations, that impact their opportunities to advance LCR.

To view the full report click here.

To read more about the LCR approach visit the 2016 report here.

 

 

Adaptation Stories • Energy • Featured • New Technologies • Population Displacement • Water Governance
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By on June 27th, 2018

Adaptation Primers: Canadian Society of Landscape Architects

ACT would like to draw your attention to the recently published Adaptation Primers published by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. These primers have recently been made available to the public and provide basic yet insightful  information on the “most complex challenge facing decision-makers in the first half of the 21st century.”

The Primers are divided into four manuals:

Primer One: summarizes current science on climate change, and what it means for Canada.

Primer Two: focuses on framing policy and planning approaches to mitigation and adaptation with special emphasis on building resilience, designing for positive transformation, and ensuring sustainability in ecosystems and societies.

Primer Three: provides an overview of the opportunities to create resilient communities that enhance public well-being, integrate nature, and ensure a prosperous future.

Primer Four: focuses on the options for response to rising waters, ranging from persisting in place to migration to better circumstances.

Perhaps the most important component of the Primers is the reference material provided for each Chapter. The resources cited are intended to deepen understanding, share experience and, ultimately, to provide inspiration for innovative approaches to policy, planning, and design. It is hoped that the Primers can aid decision-makers as they advocate the need for change and the positive potential of change.

 

You can find more information about the primers and access to them here.

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Crops & Food Supply • Energy • Sea Level Rise • Water Governance
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By on June 27th, 2018

Barriers and Drivers of Planning for Climate Change Adaptation across Three Levels of Government in Canada

We are pleased to announce the recent publication in the Planning Theory and Practice Journal titled Barriers and Drivers of Planning for Climate Change Adaptation across Three Levels of Government in Canada. The Executive Director of ACT, Deborah Harford contributed to this publication in partnership with the Coastal Cities at Risk Research Network (CCRRN) which ran from 2012-2016. The CCRRN and was funded by the Tri-Council (NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC) and the International Development Research Centre. The network partnered Canadian and international researchers studying climate change impacts in Metro Vancouver, Bangkok, Manila and Lagos.

Abstract:

This study investigates the factors that constrain and enable adaptation planning for increasing flood risk in Canada. It uses a multiple-methods, multi-scalar approach to identify interconnected barriers and drivers that operate across municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government in Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia. Through a policy content analysis (n = 54) and in-depth interviews with planners and other practitioners (n = 31), the study finds five major barriers to the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation: inadequate collaboration, absence of senior level political leadership, lack of public awareness, insufficient financial and staff capacity, and misalignment of policies within and between levels of government.

See the full article here. 

 

ACT News • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Water Governance
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By on June 26th, 2018

(June 26) Measuring Progress on Adaptation and Climate Resilience: Recommendations to the Government of Canada

The Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience released on June 26th the report titled Measuring Progress on Adaptation and Climate Resilience: Recommendations to the Government of Canada. The Executive Director of ACT, Deborah Harford is a member of the Expert Panel and we would like to draw your attention to the conclusions.

This report is a product of the Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Results, comprised of members from Indigenous organizations and governments, academia, the private sector, government, non-governmental organizations, and youth organizations. the Expert Panel was established to provide advice to the Government of Canada on measuring progress on adaptation and climate resilience.

Over an 8 month process of discussion and deliberation the Expert Panel developed 54 indicators across 5 chapters:

  1. Protecting and Improving Human Health and Well-Being
  2. Supporting Particularly Vulnerable Regions
  3. Reducing Climate-Related Hazards and Disaster Risks
  4. Building Climate Resilience through Infrastructure
  5. Translating Scientific Information and Indigenous Knowledge into Action

See the full report here.

 

 

 

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Energy • Extreme Weather • Health Risks • Population Displacement • Water Governance
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By on June 25th, 2018

(Aug 1) Call for Proposals: Stewardship Roundtable 2018

You are invited to share your research! Please join the discussion of stewardship for bird and wildlife populations and their habitats in BC and elsewhere. Is your research relevant to the themes of the Roundtable? Do you want to discuss your research with leaders engaged in the stewardship of bird and wildlife populations?

The poster session will take place during a networking event from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. on Friday, August 24, 2018. Participants will vote on the best poster, for which there will be a non-cash prize.

Submit your poster abstract by August 1 2018 here. 

About Stewardship Roundtable 2018

The Stewardship Centre for BC and Bird Studies Canada, in collaboration with the 27th International Ornithological Congress (IOCongress 2018), the Vancouver International Bird Festival (VIBF 2018), and partners, is convening a Stewardship Roundtable on Friday, August 24, 2018 – a forum and showcase of innovative practices championed in our province and beyond. As part of this event, the Stewardship Roundtable Coordinating Committee is inviting submissions for poster presentation proposals relevant to global bird stewardship.

The Roundtable will feature panel presentations, world café style discussions, story-telling and networking around the following six themes:

  • Cats and birds living in harmony
  • Climate adaptation for birds and wildlife
  • Urban habitat for birds and wildlife
  • Wildlife management areas / Important bird areas and shorelines
  • Birds and building collisions
  • Co-benefits of agricultural lands as bird habitat

 

 

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Crops & Food Supply
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By on June 21st, 2018

(July 12 & 13) Blue Carbon Forum

The City of Vancouver and the City of Yokohama warmly invites you to the Blue Carbon Forum in Surrey & Vancouver July 12 & 13.

Over one and a half days this forum will bring together academia, government and non-governmental organizations to foster relationships, share local knowledge, and create opportunities to support blue carbon research and projects. The Funding for this forum is provided by the Carbon Neutral City Alliance with support from the City of Yokohama and the City of Vancouver.

Background:

The City of Vancouver is partnering with the City of Yokohama to explore how blue carbon projects can be better incorporated into city carbon accounting, conservation, and restoration efforts. The City of Yokohama has successfully secured funding from the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance for the project, “Yokohama Blue Carbon Project”.

RSVP here. Password: BlueCarbon

Sponsoring partners:

Adaptation Community • Biodiversity • Extreme Weather • Sea Level Rise • Water Governance
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By on June 11th, 2018

(June 13) Sustainability of the Future and the Future of Sustainability

Join SFU International on June 13 (2:00pm – 4:00pm)  in a discussion with SFU’s Honorary Degree Recipient, Ashok Khosla on the pathways for promoting sustainable futures in India and elsewhere. Dr. Ashok Khosla, an internationally renowned pioneer in environmental sustainability, develops conceptual frameworks and global systems for promoting a sustainable future that has had profound impacts in India and elsewhere.

Dr. Khosla established Development Alternatives, an innovative NGO focusing on the toughest environmental challenges.Development Alternatives (DA), the world’s first social enterprise dedicated to sustainable development, is a research and action organization striving to deliver socially equitable, environmentally sound and economically scalable development outcomes. DA’s green technology innovations for habitat, water, energy and waste management, which deliver basic needs and generate sustainable livelihoods, have reduced poverty and rejuvenated natural ecosystems in the most backward regions of India. Dr. Khosla’s work exemplifies that it possible to integrate social innovation, research and community engagement.

RSVP for this event to: international_development@sfu.ca

Wednesday, June 13th
2:00 – 4:00 p.m
Room 1300-500 Granville Street, Vancouver BC
SFU’s Segal Graduate School of Business

 

 

 

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Crops & Food Supply • Energy • Population Displacement • Water Governance
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By on June 11th, 2018

(June 21) Webinar: Integrating Climate Risk In Public Infrastructure Projects

June 21st 11:00-12:00 PST: Fraser Basin Council and Associated Engineering are hosting a webinar titled Integrating Climate Risk In Public Infrastructure Projects: The Role of the Private Sector in Providing Climate Services

Many public sector organizations are planning to integrate future climate risk in their infrastructure projects. In order for this to occur, there is a growing need for private sector consulting companies to provide climate services or applied climate information for the project. In many aspects, this new area differs significantly from academic and government-led climate efforts, but in other aspects bears strong similarities. Potential opportunities for growth will be discussed, as will challenges of integrating climate data into private sector projects. This discussion will partly reflect experience at Associated Engineering, a Canada-wide consulting engineering firm with a growing climate focus.

Presenters:

Jeremy Fyke, Ph.D, is Climate Specialist at Associated Engineering. He has extensive climate science model research and development experience.

Dean Shiskowski, Ph.D, P.Geo is Vice President of Water Resource Recovery at Associated Engineering. He has a strong basis in integrating climate change into engineering projects.

Click here to register.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Energy • New Technologies • Sea Level Rise • Water Governance
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By on June 11th, 2018

(June 15) Webinar: Managing Assets for Sustainable Communities

The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and Engineers Canada are hosting the Managing Assets for Sustainable Communities webinar June 15th 9:00am -10:30am PDT.  

Communities are approaching, at an increasing pace, the end-of-life of many critical assets that were built over the past 60 years. With more money flowing to maintaining and replacing aging assets, it no doubt will mean less money for other social and environmental priorities. For this reason, one might argue that addressing the asset liabilities in our communities, might just be one of the largest threats (or opportunities) to advancing our communities’ sustainability objectives. This initiative is funded through Infrastructure Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP) and aims to “build awareness and provide basic technical assistance” on municipal asset management. Municipal staff, elected officials, engineers and planners are invited to take part in this webinar which focuses on engaging smaller, rural, and remote communities.

Speaker: Dr. Guy Félio PhD., P.Eng., FCSCE, IRP (Climate) Guy Félio is a civil engineer with a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field as a university professor, researcher, consultant and policy advisor. He provides expertise and support in the areas of asset management and adaptation of the built environment to climate change.

 

Click here to register for the webinar.

 

 

 

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Energy • Extreme Weather • Sea Level Rise • Water Governance
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By on June 08th, 2018

(Aug 9-10) Place-Based Food Systems 2018: Making the Case, Making It Happen

 

 

 

 

 

The Institute for Sustainable Food Systems is convening the Place-Based Food Systems 2018: Making the Case, Making it Happen conference August 9-10th. This two-day conference will draw together academics and community leaders to share the latest research and actions on building capacity for and empowering, place-based food systems. Participants will leave fortified with knowledge and understanding of the latest and best work making the case for place-based food systems, as well as innovative practices putting place-based food systems into action. The event aims to give participants an empowering vision of the critical role that place-based food systems can and will play in achieving our sustainable economic, ecological, and societal futures, as well as a revitalized dedication to strategic, collaborative, and forceful strategies moving forward. Call for presentations and papers is now open!

For more information visit the Kwantlen Polytechnic University registration page here.

Keynote Speakers:

Wes Jackson, The Land Institute, Saline KS
Charlote Coté, University of Washington
Eric-Holt Giménez, Food First Oakland, CA
Molly Anderson, Middlebury College, VA
William Rees, University of British Columbia, BC
Pauline Terbasket, Okanagan Nation Alliance, BC
Kimberley Hodgson, Cultivating Healthy Places, BC
Gail Feenstra, UC Davis, CA
John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri, MO

Adaptation Community • Adaptation Stories • Biodiversity • Crops & Food Supply • Health Risks • Water Governance
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By on June 08th, 2018

(June 15) Reducing carbon emissions through innovative urban planning with Alex Boston & Michelle Molnar

David Suzuki Foundation is hosting an important workshop on new opportunities to mitigate climate change through innovative urban land-use planning by Alex Boston (Executive Director of Renewable Cities) and Michelle Molnar (Ecological Economist, David Suzuki Foundation).

Adopting leading land-use practices that Alex and Michelle will speak to, can help address housing affordability, congestion, maximizing carbon sequestration benefits through improved natural asset
management, in addition to climate protection.

Where: David Suzuki Foundation, #219 – 2211 West 4th Ave, in the Terra boardroom

When:   Friday June 15th from 1pm to 3pm

Call in: If you can’t join in person you can join remotely by phone, please call into 1-877-385-4099, participant access code is 9903767#.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adaptation Community • Biodiversity • Energy • Sea Level Rise • Water Governance
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