The Adaptation and Impacts Research Section (AIRS), part of the Science and Technology Branch of Environment Canada, is committed to helping Canadians become well-adapted to current and future changes in the atmosphere. As part of its national program, AIRS established a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of British Columbia's Sustainable Development Research Institute (SDRI) in 1995 to conduct collaborative scientific research projects to expand understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation, and linkages with sustainable development. After the merger between SDRI and the Institute for Resources and Environment to create the Institute for Resources Environment and Sustainability (IRES), AIRD staff has continued to work with UBC faculty in IRES and other research units to pursue interdisciplinary research efforts in a variety of areas. In 2007, AIRD (UBC) initiated new agreement with the Faculty of Forestry.
Since 1995, AIRS has initiated several projects, providing support for 14 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
In addition to UBC Forestry and the School of Applied Ethics, AIRS staff members are also located at several other Canadian universities and research institutes including the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McGill University, Ouranos Consortium, and Atlantic Climate Centre. The AIRS Director and administrative staff are located at AIRS’s head office at Environment Canada’s facility in Toronto Ontario.
AIRS staff members have extensive national and international experience in the field of climate change research. Projects within Canada, include integrated climate change impact assessments in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence, Mackenzie and Okanagan regions, and the Canada Country Study. Internationally, members of AIRS contribute to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Scientific Assessments and the Canada-China Cooperation in Climate Change (C5) projects, and provide expert advice to the International Joint Commission, International Arctic Science Committee and others. AIRS’s research spans a wide range of topics and sectors including climate change scenarios, water resources, atmospheric hazards, infrastructure, biodiversity, urban environments, agriculture, energy and health. AIRD is also a provider of data and tools for research and decision-making through two national programs: Canada’s Climate Change Scenarios Network (CCCSN) and the Atmospheric Hazards website.
Links to AIRS websites and research collaborators:
Climate Change Scenarios Network: http://cccsn.ca/
Atmospheric Hazards: http://hazards.ca/
AIRS official website: http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/airg/index_e.cfm
University of Toronto: http://www.environment.utoronto.ca/Research/ResearchProjects/CurrentProjects/AIRG
University of Waterloo: http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/research/airg/
Ouranos Consortium on Regional Climatology and Adaptation to Climate Change: http://www.ouranos.ca/
Atlantic Climate Centre: http://atlantic-web1.ns.ec.gc.ca/climatecentre/default.asp?lang=En&n=0D8BAF5C-1