Northern Climate ExChange

Information sources

Community adaptation

In the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC (2007) on climate change, adaptation is defined as "the adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities."

Communities across the north are currently working to adapt to increasing changes to their environment. Planning for adaptation will have immediate and long term benefits. Climate change impacts experienced at the local level need adaptation measures that suit local conditions. Communities need to be involved in the adaptation planning process.

Below is a selection of articles and reference materials. For further information, you can search our Infosources Database or the online NCE Library.

Northern Climate ExChange Impacts and Adaptation Initiatives

Northern Strategy Community Adaptation Project

This project will complete climate change adaptation planning as well as the implementation of adaptation actions in 3 Yukon communities. The planning and implementation process will take approximately 3 years in each community and the communities will be staggered with a new community initiated in the first 3 years.

Adverse impacts due to climate change are a reality in Yukon and therefore measures must be implemented to reduce or moderate the negative effects. Some of the impacts of climate change may present new opportunities and benefits that proper planning and policy can facilitate. This project will assist communities to; assess their challenges and opportunities from climate change, develop a plan of action to respond to the challenges and capitalize on the benefits, and move forward on implementing the identified actions.

The overall objectives for this project include:

  1. Bring stakeholders from the community together to learn about and plan for climate change adaptation
  2. Link climate change experts with community leaders and residents
  3. Produce a user-friendly and accessible Action Plan for adaptation
  4. Complete projects and initiatives to prepare the community for a changing climate

Dawson Adaptation Project

Dawson City has been identified as the first community in the Yukon to access Northern Strategy funding to develop a Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

An Adaptation Plan will identify Dawson-specific initiatives for building resilience to a changing climate. These initiatives will be identified in the short-term, mid-term and long-term (5-20 yrs, 20-50 yrs and 50-100 yrs).

This project will assist Dawson City in integrating the issue of climate change into the decision-making process and day-to-day operations, otherwise known as "mainstreaming" climate change.

Even though our understanding of climate change impacts involves uncertainty, it is easier and cost-effective to plan for climate change now rather than wait for severe impacts to our health, community, ecosystems and traditional lifestyles.

Adaptation planning stages
  1. Establish a Local Project Advisory Team, including a local coordinator, local governments and businesses
  2. Vulnerability Assessment Workshops and Expert Interviews
  3. Historical research – identify historical climate stresses on the region and coping mechanisms
  4. Build regional climate models for future scenarios
  5. Create an Adaptation Plan
  6. Work with Local Project Advisory Team to implement Adaptation Initiatives
Project schedule

From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate 2007

Northern Climate ExChange was funded by Indian and Northern Affairs to provide capacity building and networking for the Yukon around the Northern Regions chapter of the National Assessment, From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate 2007. This was to be an entry point to discuss adaptation and to begin planning.

A suite of communication tools were developed including a presentation, media notes, one page summary and a series of surveys. These tools would both give and gather information, as well as instigate discussion around climate change impacts and ultimately initiate planning for adaptation.

Communication tools

Partnerships

A number of partners were involved in the piloting and development of our surveys, including: City of Whitehorse, Arctic North Consulting, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Kwanlin Dun First Nation (Lands and Resources, Fish and Wildlife, Health and Wellness), Fish and Wildlife Management Board, Yukon Government (Health and Social Services, Energy Mines and Resources, Environment, Forestry Management Branch), and the Peel Watershed Planning Commission.

Report consultations

The Northern Climate ExChange, functioning as the northern node of the Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN North), in cooperation with the Northern Chapter leads, Chris Furgal (Laval University) and Terry Prowse (Environment Canada and University of Victoria), held three consultations in the North, one in each territory. The intent of these was to present an overview of the developing chapter to key groups to allow for review, critique and most importantly, input into the process. Included below are the meeting reports from these consultations.


Community-based Adaptation Planning Workshop – Atlin, BC

In March 2007, the Northern Climate ExChange held a week-long adaptation planning exercise in Atlin, British Columbia. A detailed description of the project can be found in our Initiatives section.


Yukon State of Play Report

Produced by C-CIARN North in June 2007, the State of Play Report looks at climate change impacts and adaptation work in the Yukon. The report identifies gaps in climate change research, and sets out what works and what doesn't for communicating climate change information.


C-CIARN North

The Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN) was established by Natural Resources Canada in 2001 with the mandate of promoting and encouraging research on climate change impacts and adaptation, as well as promoting interaction between researchers and stakeholders.

C-CIARN successfully met the mandate that it was given when it was created in 2001, and on June 30, 2007, the network closed.

C-CIARN North facilitated collaborative research on climate change impacts and adaptation measures throughout Canada's three northern territories – Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Its central office was hosted by the Northern Climate ExChange and housed at the Northern Research Institute located in Whitehorse, Yukon. C-CIARN North also had staff in Canada's other two northern territories – at Nunavut Research Institute in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Ecology North in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.


Other community adaptation projects