Understanding public perceptions of climate change, impacts and risks helps decision makers to assess how closely public opinion matches scientific findings and what efforts, if any, may be needed to raise awareness or improve public understanding of emerging and historical climate trends and preparedness measures in place. Public opinion polling also helps to gauge public preferences with respect to what adaptation efforts should be prioritized, who should be involved and how those investments should be made. No public opinion survey of this kind has been conducted in any of the participating ACAS communities. This project attempts to fill this gap and inform community and provincial adaptation decision making going forward.
To survey a sample of residents at the provincial and ACAS community levels to better understand public perceptions on climate change, preparedness against extreme weather events and preferences with respect to adaptation options.
A Final Project Report outlining the results of the public survey.
Better understanding of public perceptions on climate change, impact concerns and adaptation preferences. With this understanding, decision makers can better prioritize and design appropriate adaptation strategies that will meet the needs citizens and inform discussions with residents as adaptation plans are developed.
Nova Scotia Environment; Corporate Research Associates Inc. ; Natural Resources Canada
Kyla Milne, Adaptation Specialist
Climate Change Directorate, Nova Scotia Environment
