Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: The Prairie Adaptation Research Cooperative

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. Science, Impacts and Adaptation 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 PARC

5. Mitigation and Adaptation

6. 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

7. 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 ?

8. 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 VULNERABILITYdepends upon both the sensitivity and adaptability of a system.

9. 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

10. Director and Research Coordinators PARC - A Distributed Regional Network

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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)

15. 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