Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Area L Director Bruce Rattray recently explained some details about a draft climate change adaptation strategy.
It was developed by Mike Simpson, Fraser Basin Council senior regional manager for the Cariboo-Chilcotin Thompson, and the CRD staff.
Rattray said it should be completed and released in the next month or two, and it offers a broad range of information on how to deal with climate change, including:
• forecasting on a regional basis and across the country as to what the impacts of climate change might be;
• focusing on current local government services, the regional development strategy and the next steps in climate change adaptation;
• the impact of climate change and ways for local government to adapt to it;
• the level of participation the CRD would likely be involved in;
• the affects on activities the CRD is directly involved in, such as solid waste and fire protection;
• past and future climate change, with an anticipation of the potential impact expected over the next 20-50 years;
• suggesting ways the organization could better prepare itself to respond to the challenges, such as protective services for a potential increase in emergencies, dramatic weather events and forest fires;
• suggesting ways the organization could better prepare itself to respond to take advantage of any opportunities, such as a longer growing season;
• looking at past, present and future climate changes
• a number of current adaptation activities being funded by Natural Resources Canada;
• how water is going to be a significant issue in a number of areas within the CRD's jurisdiction, and the related impact on development and planning;
• impacts over time on the amount of snow pack in the mountains, its change into a form of precipitation, and the amount that will change some of the current weather patterns; and
• some examples, such as less of a spring flood situation but less stored water up in the mountains.