Adaptation Pathways
The Making Adaptation Count Across the East Coast Program
While we know that the climate is changing and we can already feel its impacts, we can’t predict the future. When planning for climate change, it often seems simpler to only consider what we can do over the next few years, or focus on one problem at a time. We may choose an approach to solve our issues that seems cost-effective today, while forgetting that the climate and other conditions will continue to change. By ignoring the future and oversimplifying our approach we may make mistakes and cause more problems down the line.
This is where adaptation pathways come in.
Rather than make a single, fixed decision on how to adapt, we can consider multiple parallel options over a longer period of time. This allows us to:
- prioritise which actions are the most appropriate at any given point in time
- understand when decisions need to be made
- unearth and address related problems that may have otherwise remained hidden
- understand the tradeoffs of different options
- monitor and adjust our strategy when conditions change
The Making Adaptation Count across the East Coast Program highlights how increasing resilience to climate impacts can help us achieve our social, environmental, and economic goals. Participating communities, sectors, and organizations are identifying short-, medium-, and long-term actions that support livelihoods, public safety, and community wellbeing.
Curious about how you could use this approach in your adaptation planning?
Thanks to funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities program, CLIMAtlantic and its partners have begun exploring approaches to longer-term systems-based adaptation planning inspired by the Dynamic Adaptation Policy Pathways (DAPP) developed by Deltares. This project is also made possible thanks to our network of partners and collaborators across the region who are working with us on seven different case stories.
Aquaculture in New Brunswick
The New Brunswick aquaculture sector includes salmon and oyster production. For each, there are different impacts from climate change. Warming waters, among other factors, are a major threat to salmon production. In the case of oysters, exotic diseases potentially linked to climate change are becoming more prevalent and are already adversely impacting the sector. We are seeking to identify adaptation measures and opportunities for each subsector and the communities dependent on them while looking out for shared opportunities within the province and broader region.
Town of Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador
The Town of Ferryland is a small community of 371 residents located in the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. Like many communities in Atlantic Canada, Ferryland transitioned from a fishing town to a tourism-driven economy. Its proximity to the ocean puts it at risk of floods with many homes located along the coast. Furthermore, many of its tourism and cultural sites such as the trail to its lighthouse and the Colony of Avalon archaeological site are also at risk. We are hoping to foster a common and realistic vision of what is possible for the future of the community to keep residents safe while leveraging the aging, but highly engaged population.
City of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
The City of Charlottetown, like many communities in Atlantic Canada is encountering increased development pressure. The focus of this project is to understand how it can work with nature to manage risks from climate change, improve the quality of life for citizens and ultimately increase the community’s resilience. It is our hope that this collaboration will lead to a plan for a healthier, more vibrant, and more connected community.