Natural Elements, NRCan's Monthly Newsletter

Adapting to Climate Change in Canada

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As Canada and other nations work to address the causes of climate change, a practical problem remains: the current consequences will continue for some time before greenhouse gas reduction measures will be effective.

Accordingly, the need to adapt to the ongoing suite of impacts affecting Canada has become an integral part of dealing with the climate change issue.

Adaptation can occur in many ways, and in the case of Canada — with its vast size and its rich geographical and environmental diversity — identifying specific actions can be a monumental task.

To accomplish this task, the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations Directorate (CCIAD), part of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), has worked for the past three years with Canada’s leading experts in impacts and adaptation research. The results were made available in March 2008 with the release of From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate, 2007, which reports the findings of 145 contributors and an Advisory Committee composed of government, Aboriginal, industry, university and municipal representatives.

From Impacts to Adaptation takes into account an immense amount of recent data on each of Canada’s major regions and their particular challenges. With numerous examples and case studies of current adaptation, the CCIAD report as a whole offers a realistic assessment of Canada’s situation that will be of the highest practical value.

“Our economy, health and infrastructure are generally well adapted to current climate conditions,” says Dr. Don Lemmen, Research Manager at CCIAD. “But we remain vulnerable to extreme weather and climate events.”

That a single event could have widely different impacts may seem puzzling at first, but this is a natural result of environmental complexity and interconnection. So, for example, milder winters would have significant negative impacts on forestry, northern transportation and non-renewable resource exploration but, at the same time, be of benefit to agriculture, energy consumption and human health.

Most importantly, the report makes clear that the ongoing impacts of climate change will have different effects across the country, depending on the location of a region or community and its access to resources.

In bringing these and other realities to light,
From Impacts to Adaptation offers clear directions for how Canada can best respond to climate change, both now and in the future.

“Even the most developed countries have vulnerable regions, communities and sectors,” explains Fiona Warren, Science Advisor at CCIAD. “We need to understand where we are vulnerable, not just now but also in our future climate. That’s why the research and analysis we’ve been doing are so important.”

The report’s view for the future is optimistic. Canada has the capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change and to take advantage of the opportunities they will bring. As for particular adaptation actions, these are highly diverse and involve many behavioural changes, operational modifications, technological interventions and revised planning and investment practices.

Stay tuned till next month, when we cover the climate-change impacts of some of Canada’s regions in more detail — from declining water levels in the Great Lakes, to hydroelectricity challenges in Quebec and Manitoba, to adaptation in Nunavut, to addressing water scarcity in Alberta. You’ll find out more about the climate-change challenges we face as a country, the adaptation initiatives that are already underway and what we can do to maintain a healthy and prosperous future for Canada.

For more details on the issues and to read or obtain a full copy of From Impacts to Adaptation, visit www.adaptation2007.nrcan.gc.ca, which also provides information on all aspects of NRCan’s Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program.