Helping Canadians Adapt to a Changing Climate

Budget 2011 approved funding for programs designed to improve our understanding of climate impacts and to support adaptation planning and decision-making. The programs are aimed at advancing adaptation across targeted communities and sectors and collectively comprise the set of programs under the Adaptation Theme of the federal Clean Air Agenda. Environment Canada leads one of these programs - program A.1: Climate Change Prediction and Scenarios - which is one of a set of programs aimed at enhancing the science foundation to understand and predict climate and assess climate change impacts. Program A.1 is focused on delivering an enhanced science foundation for understanding and predicting climate change; other programs will further the objective of improving scientific knowledge on climate change impacts. This program will therefore provide the foundational knowledge required for effective federal, provincial, territorial and community adaptation planning and the development of climate adaptation policy at global and regional levels. The program will generate information on climate change and variability, and tools to facilitate integration of this information into decision-making. This program also supports coordination of adaptation issues within and among government departments.

The success of the global community in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) will be the main determinant of the rate and magnitude of climate change to which communities must adapt. However, even the most stringent mitigation efforts cannot avoid further impacts of climate change, making adaptation essential.

This program will have consistently positive and indirect environmental effects by improving the quantity, quality, accessibility, and profile of information on climate change and variability over short and long timescales, and by facilitating improved planning and decision-making. Accordingly, this program will also support the goals of Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS), Planning for a Sustainable Future: a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy for Canada, achievement of which is closely linked to the provision of enhanced environmental information and data.

Program announcement: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=2D1D6FA7-1&news=B67A7995-A1CA-4DE3-89D2-E4E3C0E24BFB

Information on previous federal climate change adaptation programs can be found at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&xml=91E1F38E-C53C-404B-9512-22EA69C08787

Program evaluation information: http://www.ec.gc.ca/doc/ae-ve/2010-2011/1345/p3_eng.htm

General information: http://climatechange.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=E2553C74-1

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