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Adapting to Climate Change: An Introduction for Canadian Municipalities
Halifax Regional Municipality's the ClimateSMART Initiative
This example illustrates the importance of collaborative partnerships between multiple orders of government and the private sector.
ClimateSMART (Sustainable Mitigation & Adaptation Risk Toolkit) is an innovative new project officially launched in March 2004 and developed to help mainstream climate change mitigation and adaptation into municipal planning and decision-making.
Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), the capital of Nova Scotia, is Atlantic Canada's largest city. The Municipality covers more than 5000 km2 and has a population of more than 350,000. It offers an international seaport and airport, as well as commercial, educational, research and technology centres for the region.
In recent years, Halifax has experienced a number of extreme climate events, including several storms that have been described as “once-in-a-century” events. Damages and costs associated with these events have also increased. Most notable was Hurricane Juan in September 2003. The Class 2 Hurricane made landfall just outside Halifax and tracked across central Nova Scotia, causing extensive damage to property, infrastructure and the environment, which was estimated at more than $100 million. A few months later, in February 2004, the severe winter blizzard that became known as “White Juan”, dumped almost 90 cm of snow on Halifax in one day. The result was $5 million in unbudgeted snow-removal costs and repairs to utility infrastructure. Such events have cost Halifax and its businesses and citizens millions of dollars, significant inconvenience, and disruption of services and lives. As a result, these events have triggered increased concern about the potential impacts of climate change.
ClimateSMART (Sustainable Mitigation & Adaptation Risk Toolkit) is an innovative new project officially launched in March 2004 and developed to help mainstream climate change mitigation and adaptation into municipal planning and decisionmaking. It is a collaboration between the public and private sectors. Partners include: the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Green Municipal Funds; Natural Resources Canada (Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program); Environment Canada; Nova Scotia Department of Energy; Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour; Nova Scotia Environmental Industries Association; select members of ClimAdapt; several community groups and local businesses, and HRM.
Prior to ClimateSMART, the municipality did not have climate change planning strategies in place. Recognizing its vulnerability to impacts from recent storms, and the increased risk to infrastructure, property and citizens, Halifax began looking for a mechanism to plan and implement effective strategies. When approached with the idea of ClimateSMART, HRM agreed to be a project partner and act as the prototype municipality.
CONTACT Stephen King |
Principal tasks of the Halifax ClimateSMART project include:
- Vulnerability assessments and sustainability analyses
- Cost-benefit assessments
- Emissions management and mitigation tool
- Climate change risk management plan
- An emissions management and adaptation methodology, including methodologies for each sector of the community
- Communications and outreach
While still in its early stages, the project's future plans include defining and conducting risk and vulnerability assessments, and developing the adaptation management tools that will enable HRM to mainstream climate change into everyday municipal planning and decision-making.
ClimateSMART has enabled Halifax to move from no climate change planning toward developing a comprehensive and integrated approach to climate change decision-making. Halifax is the prototype municipality for ClimateSMART. Information gathered and lessons learned from this project will be used to develop a municipal climate change planning and management toolkit that can be customized for use in other communities. Once completed, the toolkit will include information on greenhouse gas reduction plans, tools for assessing vulnerability and risk management, a climate change adaptation planning and management options guide, and a tool to assist municipalities in conducting cost-benefit adaptation assessments.
For HRM, the most significant lesson learned to date, and the greatest success indicator of the initiative, has been the partnership between all three orders of government and the private sector. Project partners have been able to effectively focus and co-ordinate efforts, expertise and resources toward developing a comprehensive, integrated approach to incorporate climate change mitigation and adaptation into municipal planning.