The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report this month highlighting the impacts, adaptations and vulnerabilities that climate change will bring to different human and ecological systems across the globe.
From October 25th through November 5th, MEOPAR held its Annual Training Meeting (ATM) which seeks to gather highly qualified professionals, academics, researchers and students from across the coasts to mobilize knowledge and connect via workshops on science communication, career development in a digital era, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This year’s annual training meeting theme was Building Future Skills to Address Canada’s Marine Challenges which was aimed at supporting coordinated action for the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development.
Catastrophic flooding in British Columbia
As climate change continues to threaten urban and rural communities, water security challenges driven by urbanization will exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. Tackling these ‘wicked’ problems necessitates collaboration across sectors, the integration of nature-based solutions and the exploration of synergies that prioritizes long term climate adaptation. Promoting water security in urban centres can help to improve social equity and increase access to water resources to foster more resilient communities in the face of climate change.
The Living with Water Theme Partnership is a four year, $1 million project funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solution (PICS) that supports research into complex and critically important climate mitigation and adaptation challenges along the South Coast of British Columbia (BC), which includes 20+ Vancouver area municipalities, the Fraser River Delta, Burrard Inlet and Squamish Delta. The goal of the project is to develop new planning and design frameworks and decision-making tools to help communities and ecosystems successfully adapt to the impacts of sea level rise, coastal/riverine flooding and shoreline erosion.
In late September, MEOPAR’s Response Core hosted an interactive virtual National Forum on Coastal Community Resilience: Local Government Initiatives to Address Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Flooding. The forum offered a unique opportunity to connect, share and learn about coastal adaptation approaches for Canada’s coastal municipalities and communities.
Does media coverage of a natural disaster influence public policy? How are Canadian flood disasters portrayed in the media?
The Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum (CCRF) is pleased to welcome its newest member, Shaieree Cottar as the Coordinator.
How well are Canadian cities planning for climate change? This question inspired a recent study conducted by CCRF leads Jason Thistlethwaite and Daniel Henstra, in partnership with Dave Guyadeen of the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.
On June 13th 2018, the Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum (CCRF) hosted a workshop in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The workshop gathered professionals and experts across sectors to discuss measures for reducing and managing flood risks in Atlantic Canada.
"Managing Flood Risk in Canada's Coastal Regions: Policy Opportunities and Challenges" is a new report published by CCRF focusing on the findings from this workshop.
This report details the discussions on four policy instruments: property disclosure, flood mapping portals, development setbacks, and managed retreat.