The Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions (ACAS) Program aims to enhance climate change adaptation decision-making throughout Atlantic Canada. The ACAS program involves numerous stakeholders and players from a wide variety of institutions (federal, provincial, municipal governments, academic institutions, consultants, learned and professional associations etc.). Under this program, the Department of Environment in each of the four Atlantic Provinces manages a suite of projects focused on addressing common climate change adaptation issues in Atlantic Canada.
To highlight the work of the ACAS project, the Climate Change Directorate, with NS Environment, hosted a 2 day conference event, Climate Change: Getting Ready, March 5-6, 2012, to showcase the climate change adaptation work that has been done in Nova Scotia, and to identify the ‘next steps’ in terms of climate change adaptation strategies in Atlantic Canada.
Our ACAS Partners presented during the conference; the following online proceedings will make their presentations available for both our conference attendees as well as anyone interested in learning more about climate adaptation work in Nova Scotia.
View the full conference program here.
View our conference follow up document (objectives, evaluation results & attendees list) here.
Videos coming soon!
Session 1:The Big Picture - An Update on Climate Change Adaptation Locally, Nationally, and Globally
Keynote Address The Key Role of Adaptation in the Management of Climate Change. Ian Burton, Emeritus Professor (University of Toronto), Scientist Emeritus (Meteorological Service of Canada).
Advances in Climate Change Adaptation: A National Perspective
Carrie Spencer, Regional Climate Change Adaptation Programming Manager, Natural Resources Canada
Nova Scotia Adaptation Overview Will Green, Adaptation Specialist, Climate Change Directorate, Nova Scotia Environment
Session 2: Driving Forces – Future Scenarios, Projections, Risks and Analysis
Scenarios and Guidance for Adapting to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise
Réal Daigle, R.J. Daigle Environmental Consulting
Session 3: The Findings – ACAS Project Presentations
Coastal Characterization and Vulnerability Assessment of ACAS Communities in the Bay of Fundy. Danika van Proosdij and Jeremy Tibbets, Saint Mary’s University (SMU)
Mapping Coastal Sections Using Full 3-D Digital Laser Scanning Technology to Monitor the Effects of Climate Change. Tim Webster, Applied Geomatics Research Group (AGRG)
Lidar Processing and Flood Risk Mapping for the Communities of the District of Lunenburg, Oxford-Port Howe, Town and District of Yarmouth, Chignecto Isthmus and Minas Basin. Tim Webster (AGRG)
Extreme Waves and Wave Runup in Halifax Harbour Under Climate Change Scenarios. John Charles, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and Will Perrie, Dalhousie University (DAL)
River Flood Risk Study of the Nappan River and River Phillip Incorporating Climate Change. Tim Webster (AGRG)
The HRM Urban Forest Master Plan. John Charles (HRM)
An Evaluation of Flood Risk to Infrastructure Across the Chignecto Isthmus. Bob Pett (TIR) and Tim Webster (AGRG)
Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Storm Surge Flooding of Dykelands in the Avon River Estuary. Danika van Proosdij (SMU) and Michael Fedak (SMU)
A Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure. Gordon Smith (CBCL)
Development of a GIS Based Approach for the Assessment of Relative Seawater Intrusion Vulnerability in Nova Scotia. Gavin Kennedy, NS Department of Natural Resources (NS DNR)
A GIS Based Sea Level Rise and Infrastructure Assessment: Case Study from the Town of Yarmouth. Eric Rapaport (DAL) and Justin Muise (DAL)
Session 4: The Human Impact – The Vulnerabilities, Potential Effects, and Needed Responses to Address the Human Impact
Understanding Community Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity: Incorporating Socioeconomic Considerations into Climate Change Assessments. Kyla Milne (NSE)
Assessing Social Vulnerability to Climate Change in Nova Scotia: A Case Study of the Town and Municipality of the District of Yarmouth. Michaela Cochran (DAL)
Climate Change and Emergency Management in Nova Scotia. Chris DeBow, Gardner Pinfold Consultants, and Shane Camirand, NS Emergency Management Office (NS EMO)
Municipal Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change: An Overview of the Nova Scotia ACAS Municipalities and a Case Study of Yarmouth. Alec Johnston (DAL) and Patricia Manuel (DAL).
Session 5: Municipality Perspectives – Examining Municipal Impacts and Responses. Moderated by Dan Walmsley, NSE/Walmsley Environmental Consultants
An interactive session to review the experiences of some Nova Scotian ACAS target municipalities with climate adaptation and the ACAS program. Objective is to identify the main challenges and approaches to achieving desired levels of adaptive capacity by Nova Scotian municipalities.
Participants:
Dan Walmsley - Session Introduction
Andrew Paton - Municipal Mentor Project, SNSMR
Arthur MacDonald - Town of Yarmouth
Jeff Merrill - Municipality of District of Lunenburg
Steve Ferguson - Municipality of the County of Cumberland
Dan Walmsley - Session Conclusion
Session 6: Provincial Perspectives – Examining Provincial Impacts and Responses. Moderated by Jason Hollett, Climate Change Directorate, Nova Scotia Environment
Session at which each of the provincial departments summarizes their viewpoints on how climate adaptation will be mainstreamed into the departments operations.
Participants:
Jason Hollett - Session Introduction
Will Green - Nova Scotia Environment
Marion MacAuley - Department of Agriculture
David Mitchell - Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Bob Pett - Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
Andrew Paton - Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (SNSMR)
Philip Finck - Department of Natural Resources
Shane Camirand - Emergency Management Office
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ACAS Conference 2012_Flyer_final.pdf | 425.8 KB |
| Conference Program FINAL.pdf | 304.59 KB |