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Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation:
The Prairie Adaptation Research Cooperative
Mark Johnston
Forest Ecosystems Branch, Environment and Resource Management
Agriculture and Climate Change Meeting, Saskatoon SK
12 December 2000
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION FUND
• 1998 federal budget provides $150 million
over three years (ends March 31, 2001).
• Extended for 3 more years in 2000 budget
• Objectives
– build public awareness and
understanding
– engage Canadians in local actions
– lay the foundation for meeting Canada’s
commitments
http://www.nccp.ca
CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION FUND
• Four components….
– 1 Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM)
– 2 Foundation Analysis
• Sector Tables to provide options - will be analyzed
and incorporated in a National Implementation
Strategy
– 3 Public Outreach
– 4 Science, Impacts and Adaptation
• improve knowledge of the climate system, assess
impacts, options for adaptation
Seed Money - builds on existing work, projects require leverage
- a spur to action - not the whole solution
Science, Impacts and Adaptation
PARC
SCIENCE = climate system science
climate history and dynamics
climate modelling
climate scenarios
IMPACTS = physical, biological, social and
economic impacts of climate and climate
change
ADAPTATION = response (autonomous or
anticipatory) to climate impacts
Mitigation and Adaptation
ADAPTATION:
• Degree to which adjustments are possible in practices,
processes, or structures of systems to projected or actual
changes of climate
• Adaptation can be spontaneous or planned and can be
carried out in response to, or in anticipation of changes in
conditions.
• Represents a practical means of accommodating
current climatic variability and extreme events, as well
as adjusting to longer term climatic change.
NECESSARY TO:
1 - minimize the negative impacts of future climate changes
2 - take advantage of new opportunities that may be
presented
Questions to address
• What are the potential impacts ?
• Who is vulnerable to climate change and to what
extent ?
• What have been the past successes (and failures) in
adaptation ?
• On the basis of our experience, what impacts can be
reduced by adaptation ?
• What are the barriers to adaptation and can they be
removed ?
Climatic Sensitivity
• We can only determine the impacts to which we will have
to adapt if we fully understand the climatic sensitivities
(dynamics, thresholds, response times, etc.)
• While determining these sensitivities requires an intensive
research program, it does NOT required detailed prior
knowledge of future climate change.
CCPB 1999
VULNERABILITY depends upon both the sensitivity and
adaptability of a system.
Prairie Adaptation Research Cooperative
• A facilitative, interdisciplinary research cooperative
addressing climate change impacts and adaptation in the
Prairie Provinces
• The first operational node of the Canadian Climate
Impacts and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN)
Formally Announced:
Friday, March 24, 2000
PARC - A Distributed Regional Network
SASK
SRC
SEM
SERM
Health
TB
SWC
SPC
UNIVERSITIES
- Saskatchewan
- Regina
- Alberta
- Calgary
- Manitoba
- Winnipeg
- Lethbridge
- CUPCC
- Can. Plains
Research Centre
AAFC
- Research Branch
- PFRA
MAN
Env.
Energy
Health
ALTA
Env.
Energy
Health
NATURAL
RESOURCES
CANADA
- GSC
- CCFS
- CFS
Advisory
Committe
e
PARC
Director and
Research
Coordinators
Private Sector
- SWP
- DU
- CAPP
- CWB
- CFA
- Forest Industries
- Biotechnology Sector
ENGO’s
- SES
- etc.
ENVIRONMENT CANADA
- Prairie & Northern Regions
- EARG
- MSC
- NWRI
PARC Priorities
1 - facilitation and coordination of collaborative research
among sectors and disciplines.
2 - act as a focal point for professional development of
Highly Qualified Personnel.
3 - assist in development of adaptation strategies that
have practical application in decision making.
4 - ensure that the geographic and sectoral diversity of the
prairie provinces is well represented.
5 - assist in the development of other nodes of C-CIARN
to better address regional priorities within national issues.
PARC Research Program
Quick-Start projects
• limited number of research projects received early funding.
Initiated to give PARC immediate profile. Generally used to
enhance ongoing initiatives or stimulate adaptation work in
key areas (e.g. groundwater)
Calls for Proposals
• open call in April 2000 ($1M), another in planning stages.
32 projects funded - details at www.parc.ca
• all proposals are subject to full peer review - evaluation
includes opportunities for training and contributing to a
coordinated research program.
PARC Research will:
• be interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral. There is a need
to expand beyond scope of traditional research.
• address BOTH climate change impacts and adaptation.
Individual projects may have different emphases, but both
components must be present.
• contribute to a coordinated regional research program
and the integration of biophysical, social and economic
analyses.
• help build the capacity required in this emerging field of
national priority.
PARC – current status
STRUCTURE (when fully operational)
Governed by a Board composed of senior representatives
from government (federal and provinces) and industry
(“users”). Provides general direction.
Advised by a technical committee.
Staffed by a Director and four Research Coordinators
(sectoral focus to be determined)
FUNDING
$3M for 2 years starting 1999/2000 from special allocation
of CCAF – future budget depends on CCAF allocation
$400,000 from WED in form of rent at PTRC (Regina)
PARC SUMMARY
1 - to address impacts of climate change in Prairie
Provinces and identify potential adaptive response. Does
NOT encompass mitigation or climate system science.
2 - to establish partnerships between government,
universities, industry and other organizations to focus on
adaptation strategies that have practical application.
3 - to develop a coordinated research program that
addresses regional priorities while contributing to a
national network. Emphasis on HQP.
A Challenge and an Opportunity