Climate Adaptation

Building the Columbia Basin-Boundary Region's Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change

Since 2014, the RDI has engaged in applied research related to community climate adaptation. Read on for information on our current project. For information on past projects, see our Projects Archive. For comprehensive climate change and impacts information relevant to the Columbia Basin and Boundary regions, see Columbia Basin Climate Source--the result of a partnership between Columbia Basin Trust, the RDI and the Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre.

The goal of our now complete Federation of Canadian Municipalities-funded project was to support climate adaptation through regional-scale action and collaborative learning. The project began in April 2019 and ended in December 2021.

Partners included: the Regional District of East Kootenay, Regional District of Central Kootenay, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, City of Kimberley, City of Rossland, Village of Silverton, City of Nelson, City of Cranbrook, Town of Golden, Simon Fraser University’s Adaptation to Climate Change Team, Columbia Basin Trust, and Climate Resilience Consulting.

Objective 1 : Identify municipal climate vulnerabilities

Measure adaptation progress in six case study municipalities using the State of Climate Adaptation and Resilience in the Basin (SoCARB) indicator suite. SoCARB assesses adaptation actions in relation to climate changes and associated community/environmental impacts.
Produce six case study assessments to 1) generate detailed climate and hydrological projections to identify the specific risks each municipalities faces and 2) measure performance of past action to identify remaining vulnerabilities
Compile results with those from the 2016-2018 pilots to generate a regional perspective on priority vulnerabilities.

Objective 2: Enhance municipal capacity specific to common adaptation themes and priority vulnerabilities

Convene a Regional Adaptation Network (RAN) focused on the priority vulnerabilities. The network will include representation from case study and pilot municipalities, and engage partner organizations and additional stakeholders where appropriate
Host ongoing RAN meetings to: 1) facilitate peer learning and cross-jurisdictional collaborations 2) engage external experts to provide training and 3) implement projects that reduce priority vulnerabilities and overcome common barriers to action
Provide a 'seed fund ' for the RAN to initiate action-focused projects
Host an open-invitation Learning Summit to build capacity by providing training and facilitating collaborative action around bigger-picture adaptation issues.

Objective 3: Advance regional-scale response to climate change

Work via the RAN to link and leverage municipal action
Coordinate community-scale activities to avoid duplication and promote efficient use of resources
Mobilize project knowledge throughout the region (and beyond)

Project Resources

State of Climate Adaptation Assessments

Regional District of Central Kootenay Area H: Report and Appendix
Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Area A: Report and Appendix
Golden: Report and Appendix
Cranbrook: Report and Appendix
Silverton: Report and Appendix
Nelson: Report and Appendix

Regional Adaptation Network Project and Training Resources

Summary Report: Piloting Community-Based Social Marketing as a Tool to Improve Household Emergency Preparedness
Knowledge Brief: Natural Asset Management
Knowledge Brief: Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness
Knowledge Brief: Low Carbon Resilience and Asset Management
Report and Inventory Results: Toward Natural Asset Management in the Kootenays
Report: Hydrological Modeling for Climate Adaptation: City of Cranbrook
Memo: Using the Raven Hydrological Modeling Framework to Support Climate Adaptation in Local Government-Managed Watersheds
Report: Integrating Climate Change into Asset Management: Lessons from Communities in BC's Kootenay Region

Conference Summary - Bridging Silos: Climate Adaptation in Small Communities and Rural Regions

Click here to access the conference summary

This project was carried out with assistance from the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Notwithstanding this support, the views expressed are the personal views of the authors, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Government of Canada accept no responsibility for them.