Adaptation and Impacts Research Group

Research Projects

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 programs 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). Our major projects include:

• An Assessment of Natural Hazards & Disasters in Canada
• Adapting Urban Areas to Atmospheric Change
• Canada Country Study
• Climate Change and Canada's National Park System
• Climate Change and Transboundary Water Issues
• Georgia Basin Futures Project
• Great Lakes -St. Lawrence Basin Project
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:
• Mackenzie Basin Impact Study
• Toronto-Niagara Region Study
• UNEP Handbook on Methods for Climate Change Impact Assessment and Adaptation Strategies

An Assessment of Natural Hazards & Disasters in Canada

The Natural Hazards Assessment is a collaborative project of the Meteorological Service of Canada, the Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction and the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness designed to assess the risk to Canadians from natural hazards, how those risks might be mitigated, and to inventory gaps in knowledge. The project involves two main components. The first component is the creation of a set of background technical papers suitable for publication in the peer-reviewed literature; the second component draws on the technical papers to create a synthesis document suitable for the general public. The project has been successful, largely due to the commitment of a large number of academics, public servants and private sector employees who have provided their expertise and insight, entirely through volunteerism.

Contact: David Etkin

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