Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Linkages with Sustainable Development (AMSD)
Contact: Livia Bizikova

AMSD is a collaborative initiative of Adaptation & Impacts Research Division (AIRD), Environment Canada and Institute for Resources Environment & Sustainability (IRES), University of British Columbia. AMSD refers to an integrated approach to considering the linkages among climate change adaptation (A), mitigation (M) and sustainable development (SD).

AMSD provides a framework to explore the linkages between adaptation and mitigation in the context of local development needs by providing criteria for evaluating opportunities and trade-offs between adaptation and mitigation on the basis of sustainable development. AMSD emphasizes dialogue between scientists, practitioners and stakeholders in order to provide and translate scientific information relevant for the users, and conduct research that reflects the reality at the local level.

For more information please visit the AMSD website.

Climate Change and Water Management in the Okanagan Basin, British Columbia
Contact: Stewart Cohen, Tina Neale

Completed: Series of projects completed in 2001, 2004 and 2006

This research effort has developed as a collaborative with IRES, Forestry and Civil Engineering at UBC, as well as with other participants from Environment Canada (Meteorological Service of Canada, and Pacific & Yukon Region), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, B.C. Ministry of Environment, and various regional and local partners. The goal is to assess the implications of scenarios of future climate change for water resources management in the Okanagan, through an interdisciplinary team approach with participation of local experts, and to use this experience as a foundation for initiating a dialogue on adaptation. Dr. Stewart Cohen has been the Principal or co-Principal Investigator for several projects funded by the Government of Canada since 2000.

Publications relating to this work are listed and available for download on the AIRD publications page.

The Okanagan Sustainable Water Resources Model (OSWRM), version 1.62.1, developed as part of the 2004-2006 research phase is available below with the accompanying documentation and user guide. We strongly recommend that anyone wishing to use the model read the model documentation and research report (Cohen and Neale, 2006) to become familiar with the model's purpose and assumptions. The OSWRM was developed using a participatory modeling approach involving expert stakeholders from the Okanagan region. The model is not intended for operations or decision analysis. It was developed as an exploration tool to generate plausible futures, evaluate the relative effectiveness of adaptation measures, and support discussion on these issues within the Okanagan community.

Okanagan Sustainable Water Resources Model (OSWRM)

To download the OSWRM, click on the link above and save the STM file to your computer. Stella (TM) systems thinking software or the isee Player is required to run the OSWRM.

OSWRM Quick User Guide

Model Level Documentation for the Okanagan Sustainable Water Resources Model v.1.62.1, April 2007

Canada-China Cooperation in Climate Change (C5)
Contact: Robin Bing Rong

Completed: 2005

In early 2001, CIDA approved funding for the Canada-China Cooperation in Climate Change (C5) Project under the Canada Climate Change Development Fund. The overall C5 goal was to contribute to Canada’s international climate change objectives through activities that address the causes and effects of climate change while contributing to sustainable development and poverty reduction. The Adaptation & Impacts Research Division (AIRD) of Environment Canada was the co-leader of C5’s Adaptation and Impacts (A&I) component, working with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The main objective of the A&I component was to strengthen China’s research capacity to identify the vulnerabilities and impacts of climate change and to develop adaptation strategies to minimize its negative impacts and maximize positive impacts.

This component focused on capacity-building in Canadian and emerging global I&A techniques, tools and research methodologies.  As a project coordinator, Mr. Robin Bing Rong of AIRD helped to organize several workshops on climate extremes and climate scenarios, to provide training for Chinese scientists involved in climate scenario development and climate change impact, vulnerability and adaptation assessments. In May 2004 AIRD co-hosted an international scientific conference entitled Climate Change: Building the Adaptive Capacity in China. This conference involved international researchers in the I&A dialogue, including review of case studies, and other C5 component results.

Outcomes of the C5 project included:  opportunities for state and provincial policy makers to understand the impacts of climate change and appropriate policy responses; increased the participation of women in adaptation and impacts activities; and contributions to the adaptation section of the upcoming first Chinese National Communication. China’s future work will focus on climate change and drought, socio-economic studies, and climate scenarios, as well as continued research on adaptation techniques in a wider number of sectors and regions, and further analysis of the impacts of climate extremes and their variability.

C5 Website: http://www.ec.gc.ca/etad/default.asp?lang=En&n=BB600B72-1

 

Agri-Environmental Standards for Water Availability
Contact: Tina Neale, Stewart Cohen

Completed: 2006

The goal of developing water availability standards is to determine the amount of water available to support agricultural production across Canada.  The aims of water availability standards are:

• To ensure the sustainable use of the existing water supply for agriculture.
• To reduce agriculture’s risk to the environment in terms of water quantities.
• To avoid or reduce risks to agriculture and other activities as a result of water scarcity.

Work completed in 2006 focused on three pilot watersheds: the Grand River Basin (GRB) in Ontario, the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the Okanagan River Basin (OKB) in British Columbia.  Activities focused on collection and analysis of data on baseline water availability conditions and indicators for reliable regional water supplies and analysis of trends, pressures and limitations on regional water availability.  Risk management approaches to assessment of water availability were also developed and tested in each watershed.  In 2007-2008, this work will continue in Gansu, China where the methodologies for assessing agricultural water availability will be tested and refined.

 

AS25 Project: Integrated Assessments and Vulnerabilities and Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change in the Western Region of China
Contact: Yongyuan Yin

Completed: 2006

Yongyuan Yin was the principal investigator for this project being carried out in western China with support from the Global Environmental Facility and the United Nations Environment Programme. One of 24 such projects that took place in developing countries around the world under the international project Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC), it taught local scientists methodologies for assessing the region’s vulnerability to climate change in the face of such existing problems as widespread poverty, water shortages, and land-use conflicts.

Project partners included AIRD/EC, China’s Climate Change Coordination Office (CCCCO) of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the GEF Focal Point of China, Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA), State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Nanjing University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and University of Regina.

For more information about AIACC, please visit:
http://www.aiaccproject.org/working_papers/working_papers.html

The AS25 project final report is now available here:
http://essi.nju.edu.cn/AIACC/website/AS25Project-Final-Tech-Report-whole-04-29-06.doc]

 

CIDA Project: Confronting Global Warming: Enhancing China’s Capacity for Carbon Sequestration, Integrated Assessment Component
Contact: Yongyuan Yin

Completed: 2006

Supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), this project was a collaborative partnership headed by the University of Toronto targeted at building China's capacity in terrestrial carbon-cycle monitoring and modeling. The aim of the project was to identify desirable land-use options that could increase the carbon-intake capacities of trees in western China while improving rural sustainable development.

The project had three key components: using remote-sensing global information systems to identify the spatial distribution of forests and other carbon sinks in western China; measuring the carbon-sequestering capacity of various forest species; and using integrated assessment (IA) to link science to improved policy and decision making.

Dr. Yin led the IA component, which involved conducting householder surveys in three regions of rural China to gather data on economic and environmental conditions, develop partnerships, and engage stakeholders. A policy workshop was held in Beijing in May 2006, and a carbon-sequestration toolbox (Land Use Decision Support Tool, LUDST) for China’s forestry sector was used at a training course for Chinese forest managers and planners.  Results of this work will be published in 2006 in a special issue of the journal Environmental Management.

 

Canada Country Study: Climate Impacts and Adaptation
Contact: Stewart Cohen

Completed: 1997

A national study intended to evaluate the impacts of climate variability and change on Canada as a whole, and to identify and evaluate adaptive responses. The study was initiated by Environment Canada (EC) and was being carried out under the lead of the Adaptation and Impacts Research Group. Among the participants were representatives of various levels of government, the university community, the private sector and non-governmental organizations. The final report was published by Environment Canada.

 

Climate Change and Transboundary Water Issues
Contact: Stewart Cohen

Completed: 2000

Initially funded by the NAFTA Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the objectives of this study were to identify potential impacts of climate variability and global warming on trans-boundary water issues, to provide indicators of likely effects of climate variability in these basins, and to suggest guidelines and recommendations for improving water management and sustainable development opportunities. Research carried out at SDRI focused on the Columbia River Basin. A paper was published in 2000 in Water International.

 

Mackenzie Basin Impact Study
Contact: Stewart Cohen

Completed: 1997

This study was assessed the potential impacts of global warming on regions and inhabitants within an extensive northern area of Canada. This six-year cooperative study represented one of the first attempts at integrated regional assessment of climate change. The MBIS Final Report was released in August 1997 along with a Summary of Results (both available on-line).

 

ULYSSES: Conversations on Climate Change and Sustainability in Vancouver

Contact: Stewart Cohen
Completed: 2000

This study was designed to address the lack of public participation and understanding in climate change research and involved citizen panels across the Greater Vancouver Regional District which explored the relationships between the participant's personal lifestyles and their cumulative environmental consequences. This work built upon similar research being carried out in Europe under the ULYSSES: Urban Lifestyles, Sustainability and Integrated Environmental Assessment Project.