Adaptation and Impacts Research Group

General Information

2001-2002 AIRG Annual Report

Atmospheric change, variability and extremes represent real and present threats to the achievement of sustainable development in Canada. They will continue to affect the health, integrity, development and, thereby, the sustainability of Canadian socio-economic and ecological systems. As such, Canadians' responses to these must include adaptation actions that will reduce their vulnerabilities to atmospheric variability and extremes and that will minimize the negative impacts, maximize positive impacts, and allow them to take advantage of opportunities that arise as a result of atmospheric changes.

In recognition of the importance of providing Canadians with the information which they can use to achieve sustainability today and in the future, the Adaptation and Impacts Research (AIR) Group has identified the following research program. This research is an integral part of Environment Canada's action plan, a comprehensive agenda for securing a healthy environment, ensuring safety from environmental hazards and building a greener society. The research results and information provided can be used by Canadians (e.g., decision and policy makers within communities, organizations, the private sector, and government) to promote and facilitate adaptation to atmospheric change, variability and extremes and to assist in identifying the need for other response options (e.g., mitigation when impacts and/or adaptation response are deemed unacceptable or insufficient).

The primary goal of AIRG is to ensure that information is available to Canadian decision and policy makers on:

• the environmental, social and economic impacts caused by vulnerabilities to atmospheric change, variability and extremes; and
• viable adaptive responses.

Research Directions

Specifically, the research questions for which the AIR Group is seeking answers are:

• What are the socio-economic impacts as a result of vulnerabilities of Canadians and their ecosystems to atmospheric change, variability and extremes?
• What are viable adaptive responses for Canadians and how can these be identified?
• What are the limits to adaptability of Canadian socio-economic and ecological systems?
• What are the relationships (e.g., synergistic, additive, competitive, etc.) between atmospheric issues in terms of their impacts on Canadian socio-economic and ecological systems?
• Are there multiple benefits to be achieved through addressing a single atmospheric change, variability, and/or extremes issue?
• What maladaptations exist in Canadian systems and how could they be resolved?
• What is preventing/deterring Canadians from reducing their vulnerability to atmospheric change variability and extremes?
• What would motivate Canadians to take the actions necessary to reduce their vulnerability to atmospheric change, variability and extremes?

The AIR Group has identified the following priorities for its impacts and adaptation research agenda:

1. Identifying the impacts of atmospheric change, variability and extremes on Canadian socio-economic and ecological systems.
2. Identifying and assessing adaptive responses that Canadians could use to cope with or adjust to the impacts of atmospheric change, variability and extremes.
3. Strengthening the national and international research communities' capacity for assessment of the impacts of atmospheric change, variability and extremes and for the identification and assessment of adaptive responses.
4. Developing the analytical capacity for integrated assessment of atmospheric issues.
5. Identifying barriers to implementation of adaptive and mitigation measures and developing and assessing strategies to overcome them.
   

Fundamental to delivery of this research program are multi-disciplinary co-operation and the engagement of other components of the Canadian and international research community. It is also essential that both the natural and human/social sciences collaborate in addressing the identified research questions. The AIR Group is uniquely positioned to deliver this program and will continue to strengthen its efforts in this direction through its position within the Atmospheric Environment research community, its partnerships with and its co-location at the University of Toronto, the York University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Waterloo, and its links with stakeholders and external partners (e.g., insurance industry, U.S. Global Change Research Program, International Joint Commission, and North American Commission for Environmental Co-Operation).

With respect to its partnerships with the three universities, the arrangements are spelled out in a Memorandum of Agreement established for each university (five year terms agreements). The agreements also identify the objectives of these partnerships and co-location as:

• to achieve a high level of interaction between the activities of the Group and the university's faculty and students; and
• to promote and undertake high-quality research and related activities, including collaborative research, on adaptive response of natural and human ecosystems to major atmospheric and related environmental stresses.
  

It is expected that these co-location partnership arrangements will result in positive benefits for both the AIR Group and the universities. For the AIR Group these would include:

• engagement of researchers with expertise beyond that available within the AIR Group itself, particularly those from the human/social sciences, willing to work on aspects of the impacts and adaptation research agenda; and
• increased networking and collaboration with university researchers and students.

For the universities, the benefits are expected to include:

• the opening up of new research areas and exposure to a broader range of ideas as a result of contact with Environment Canada researchers;
• the participation of AIR Group researchers in university seminar series, teaching, advising students, and other university activities; and
• an increased degree of credibility of the university with "applied" clients.
  

Ms. Indra Fung Fook
Phone: 416-739-4436
E-mail: indra.fungfook@ec.gc.ca

The Green Lane^TM,
Environment Canada's World Wide Web Site.