Climate Change Geoscience and Adaptation Sub-Activity: Long Descriptions for Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the relationships between climate change, adaptation to climate change and actions to mitigate climate change. Climate change leads to the experience of impacts and autonomous adaption which in turn leads to responses and investments. These responses and investments can either mitigate the climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or lead to planned adaption which continues the adaptation cycle, starting with the experience of climate change impacts and autonomous adaptation.

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Figure 2 shows the location of Climate Change Geoscience within ESS

ADM, ESS
DG, GSC Central and Northern Canada
Director, GSC Central

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Annex A: Logic Model for Initiative to Enhance Resilience in a Changing Climate

There are three groups of activities in this initiative. The three groups of activities are organized around three themes:

1. economic resilience;
2. community adaptation; and
3. advising public policy.

Activities under theme of Economic Resilience are: spatio-temporal assessments for energy, agriculture and northern ecosystem services; and development of models, methodologies and databases. Outputs resulting from these activities are: assessment of climate change impact on water-reliant sectors; and adaptation options for agriculture, oil sands production, and habitat management. The immediate outcome is sectoral policy- and decision-makers use Earth science information to appraise the resilience of their sectors to a changing climate. The intermediate outcome is key economic sectors dependent on natural capital implement adaptation strategies for a changing climate use Earth science information.

Activities under theme of Community Adaptation are: collaborative work with stakeholders in coastal drought-prone and Arctic communities/regions; and knowledge transfer to urban communities and the planning profession. Outputs resulting from these activities are: criteria and methodology for assessment of vulnerability; documentation of vulnerabilities for stakeholders; and learning, decision-making tools adapted for planning use. The immediate outcome is practitioners incorporate Earth science information in the identification and characterization of vulnerabilities and adaptation options. The intermediate outcome is vulnerable communities adopt adaptation measures that increase public safety, resilience and sustainability.

Activities under the theme of Advising Public Policy are: glacier and permafrost monitoring; paleo-reconstructions; climate, landscape & water change & modelling; knowledge transfer to government policy groups; and reporting and contributing to national and international climate change impacts and adaptation programs. Outputs resulting from these activities are: regional assessments of landscape, ecosystem response; national datasets and databases on landscape change; paleoenvironmental reconstructions for impact studies and to constrain models; reports, contributions to synthesis products and national, international assessments. The immediate outcome is the Science community advising adaptation policy and decision makers is informed by effective change detection and projection. The intermediate outcome is effective adaptation measures are put in place by governments.

The long term outcome for all three themes is Canada’s resilience to a changing climate is enhanced through effective adaptation strategies information by Earth Science Sector geoscience and geomatics outputs.

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Figure 3 shows the location of Impacts and Adaptation within ESS

ADM, ESS

DG, Coordination and Strategic Issues Branch

Director, Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation

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Annex B: Logic Model for Climate Change Adaptation Initiative

There are five activities in this initiative:

1. establishment and management of collaborative arrangements to facilitate regional adaptation;
2. cost-shared development of decision-support tools for adaptation and related information products;
3. dissemination of information and tools;
4. building capacity of practitioners and decision-makers; and
5. national coordination.

The outputs for these activities are:

1. regional adaptation work programs;
2. research reports and other information products addressing regional & sectoral adaptation priorities;
3. decision-support tools and related information products;
4. targeted awareness-raising approaches, training plans and training events, including supporting material; and
5. mechanisms (e.g., web portal, databases, annual forum) to share regional & sectoral information, tools and experiences nationally.

The immediate outcomes following from the outputs are:

1. availability of information and decision-support tools needed for practitioners and decision-makers to understand risks and opportunities from a changing climate and identify adaptation options;
2. practitioners and decision-makers with responsibilities to adapt are aware of regional / sectoral vulnerabilities and engaged on adaptation; and
3. mechanisms to share regional & sectoral information, tools & experiences nationally are effectively used.

The intermediate outcomes are:

1. practitioners and decision-makers use information and decision-support tools to assess risks and opportunities from a changing climate and identify adaptation options;
2. improved capacity to address adaptation issues; and
3. strengthened linkages among stakeholders on the issue of adaptation.

The final outcomes are:

1. practitioners consider risks and opportunities from a changing climate in routine practices, guidelines, or codes & standards; and
2. decision-makers consider risks and opportunities from a changing climate in policy, planning or operations.

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