Municipal Climate Change Action Plans. Background & Overview of Key Elements

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1 Municipal Climate Change Action Plans Background & Overview of Key Elements

2 Presentation Topics 1. Why Should We Plan For Climate Change? 2. Recent Events & Impacts 3. The MCCAP Key Elements Adaptation Mitigation

3 WHY WORRY?

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5 Climate Change - What to Expect: More frequent storm events Increasing storm intensity Changes in precipitation and extreme precipitation events Sea level rise Storm surges and floods Accelerated coastal erosion Flooding and flash-floods Wetter winters Loss of sea ice Drier summers with droughts and more forest fires Water (availability) constraints Source: Environment Canada, 2011

6 Nova Scotia - Climate Change Impacts

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8 Climate Change : A Financial Burden on Communities and People Damage from recent Nova Scotia storms totals $13M CTV News: Jan N.S. insurance costs rise with weather damage CBC News: Jan The initial estimate includes costs to repair damages to provincial and municipal infrastructure, including bridges and roads, and uninsurable damages to private property Costs for damages from August flash flooding in Meat Cove and November flooding in southwestern areas are estimated to total more than $13 million damage from heavy rainfall and flooding in November in southwestern Nova Scotia is estimated at $5.6 million Premier Darrell Dexter announced a new Disaster Financial Assistance program that will help Nova Scotians with uninsurable damage from the November 2010 rain storms and floods. The Government of Canada will invest up to $6.1 million to clean up and repair storm damaged harbours in Nova Scotia. Bayfield, Pictou Landing, Louisbourg, Malagash, Wallace, Skinner s Cove, Toney River, Neil s Harbour, Pictou Island, Bailey s Brook, Arisaig, Livingstones Cove, Cottage Cove, Five Islands, White Point, Auld s Cove, Halls Harbour, Larry s River and Little Harbour L Ardoise. Wharf repairs at various locations, including: Northport, Sluice Point, Ingonish, Fox Point, Indian Point, Dublin Shore, Little Harbour, Little Tancook, Mill Cove and Lunenburg. Breakwater repairs at various locations, including: Little River, Main-à-Dieu, Bailey s Brook, Cheticamp, Ballantyne s Cove, New Haven, Bay St. Lawrence, Lower Sandy Point, Centreville and Cripple Creek. Dredging at various locations, including: West Berlin, Bailey s Brook, Arisaig, Northport, Skinner s Cove, Toney River, Bay St. Lawrence, Finlay Point, Cribbons Point, Judique (Baxter), Pleasant Bay, Cripple Creek, Sonora and East Chezzetcook. (March, 2011)

9 Nova Scotia ESTIMATED (recent) STORM DAMAGE COSTS Hurricane Juan, 2003 $100 million Meat Cove, Oct $7.2 million Central Nova, Dec $13 million Southwest Nova, Nov $5.6 million 2011 Storm repairs: harbours, wharves, piers $6.1 million

10 Preparing a climate change action plan will help you to understand the impacts and the issues and how they affect your community. The SNSMR Guide will lead you through the process.

11 MCCAP- Part of the Federal Gas Tax Transfer Agreement Amendment to Integrated Community Sustainability Plans Municipalities are required to complete their MCCAP by 2014.

12 The SNSMR Guide consists of two-parts: 1. Adaptation 2. Mitigation

13 ADAPTATION Adaptation: Initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects. Examples are: developing storm water management plans; setbacks for development; protective buffers; managed water supplies; infrastructure assessment; emergency response plans; etc.

14 Adaptation: Step-by-Step Planning Framework Step One: Build a Team Step Two: Identify Impacts Purpose of this planning exercise: 1). To begin the process of understanding how climate change will impact your municipality over the long-term. Step Three: Affected Locations Step Four: Affected Facilities & Infrastructure Step Five (a): Social Considerations 2). To clearly identify municipal priorities for adaptive action. Step Five (b): Economic Considerations Step Five (c): Environmental Considerations Step Six: Priorities for Action

15 Step One: Form a team to prepare the plan Having a team prepare the plan helps to build capacity at the municipal-level. In the long-run local capacity (knowledge & understanding of the issues) will better enable you to tackle many of the climate issues affecting your municipality. No mandatory public consultation. Bring stakeholders into the process where applicable and appropriate.

16 Step Two: What are the hazards likely to affect your municipality? More frequent storm events Increasing storm intensity Changes in precipitation and extreme precipitation events Sea level rise Storm surges and floods Accelerated coastal erosion Flooding and flash-floods Wetter winters Loss of sea ice Drier summers with droughts and more forest fires Water (availability) constraints

17 Step Three: What parts of the municipality are/could be affected?

18 Step Four: Facilities, Infrastructure & Service Delivery Understand how infrastructure is affected by climate change, and how it can be adapted over time to withstand changing conditions. What hazards will impact facilities infrastructure/services? Is location a factor, facility age, design capacity? What other vulnerabilities exist? Spreadsheets: A checklist to help municipal engineers to access likely risks.

19 Step Five: Social, economic & environmental considerations Who will be affected, how are they impacted & who can help? Could climate change impact the local and regional economy, and if so, how? Are there any environmental concerns or considerations related to climate change? e.g., cottage owners & retirement community Emergency first response Economic Considerations Social Considerations Environmental Considerations

20 Step Six: Setting priorities for action Municipal priorities for climate change adaptation might include: Public health & safety Infrastructure New development Policy & planning Social considerations Economic considerations Environmental considerations Priorities will form the basis of on-going adaptive action, and will be reflected in the development of municipal policies and actions aimed at addressing issues related to climate change.

21 Mitigation Mitigation means implementing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples are: renewable energy projects; building insulation and energy efficiency retrofits; furnace upgrades; energy conservation; public transit & transit oriented development; green building design, etc.

22 Mitigation: Step-by-Step Planning Framework Step One: Collect Energy & Emissions Information Step Two: Complete Energy & Emissions Inventory Table Step Three: Set Goals & Identifying Actions for Mitigation To be undertaken by those municipalities which have not already conducted any kind of energy and emissions audit, prior to All audits conducted as part of the EcoTrust/EcoNova program count. Most municipalities are compliant and have met this requirement of the MCCAP. Section on municipal goals for mitigation may require updating for the MCCAP.

23 Final MCCAP Submission Date: December 31, 2014 Guide release forthcoming (at the publishing stage) Templates for both Adaptation & Mitigation components

24 Regional Climate Change Action Plans Municipalities may choose to work together on a regional level, to tackle common impacts, issues and problems associated with climate change. Where this occurs, municipalities can pool resources towards common objectives, and wherever possible, municipalities are encouraged to work together in this capacity. Municipalities that do wish to work with one another should contact SNSMR to understand what the final plan content would entail, and what the individual MCCAP, MFA and Gas Tax responsibilities remain, regardless of the inter-municipal partnership.

25 Contact Info: Graham Fisher Planner, SNSMR Phone: This is the solution we ve devised for dealing with the flooding caused by climate change