About CLIMAtlantic
CLIMAtlantic facilitates access to regionally relevant climate information and supports its effective use in planning and decision making for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
We are user-driven, focusing on the needs of Indigenous communities, academia, provincial governments, municipalities, local service districts, non-profits, industry, and land-owners.
CLIMAtlantic works with all regional and local groups to ensure there is a strong network of collaboration, and data and tools are easily accessible.
CLIMAtlantic was created in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS), all Atlantic Canada’s Provincial governments, and the support from the Ecology Action Centre, New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN), and Aster Group. The Canadian network of climate hubs in partnership with CCCS includes Ouranos (Quebec), the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (BC), ClimateWest (Prairies), and the Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation (Ontario and The Great Lakes). Regional climate data hubs support efforts to make all communities more resilient to extreme weather events.
Our Mission
CLIMAtlantic’s mission is to provide those in Atlantic Canada with information and support to consider climate change impacts in their decisions. Driving this mission is the need for accessible, reliable, actionable climate information to address climate-related risks and support adaptation. These needs are informed by a wide range of key drivers such as:
- social drivers – the impacts of climate change on communities and human health;
- economic drivers – the impacts of climate change on the competitiveness of Atlantic Canadian economic sectors such as agriculture, energy, and insurance; and
- environmental drivers – the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, species, and coasts; and the increasing threats to life and property from disasters due to climate-related severe events.
The demand for climate services continues to grow within Canada and internationally, as well as in our region, so a constellation of players working together is important.
Guiding Principles
Our approaches to climate change need to account for its complexity. In this infographic, we suggest some guiding principles, which we strive to use to meaningfully adapt to climate change. This infographic is intended for anyone participating in climate action.
Below are our more of our guiding principles:
- Maintain a regional focus on advancing climate change knowledge and adaptation, while recognizing the common interests of the Atlantic provinces and the federal government;
- Provide climate services and knowledge with a robust user-focus approach tailored to local needs and geography, that include ongoing, regular, and iterative engagement and interaction with knowledge holder and users;
- Demonstrate a commitment to high-quality evidence- and knowledge- and place-based approaches and continuous and ongoing improvement and development of programs and services;
- Consider multiple disciplines and perspectives to assess and respond to partners’ and collaborators’* needs, addressing climate change impacts and adaptation measures in a multi-faceted way with economic, social, and environmental considerations;
- Ensure sufficient attention is given to unique social and ecological contexts and considerations, such as the range of climate zones in the region (from sub-arctic to maritime) and the provincial official languages legislation;
- Be flexible, responsive, and proactive, so that we can be responsive to partners’ and collaborators’ needs, altering operational realities, and remain a relevant and adaptable institution that serves the needs of Atlantic Canadians;
- Build and sustain respectful and ethical relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations, recognizing the importance of Indigenous Knowledge and perspectives in the advancement of climate change adaptation;
- Commit to centring justice by respecting nature, amplifying different knowledges and ways of knowing, and expanding the scope of traditional adaptation to enhance engagement and collaboration throughout our methodologies, programs, and services;
- Collaborate and partner with a full range of rightsholders, stakeholders, communities, organizations, agencies, individuals and other regional climate service centres, to deliver programs and services.
* Collaborators and Partners are any individuals, agencies, organizations that work with us to advance climate resiliency in Atlantic Canada.