Climate Change Adaptation in the Regional District of Nanaimo
Community Action Plans will be featured in the “Showcasing Innovation on Vancouver Island Series”
In 2002, the Regional District of Nanaimo and the City of Nanaimo joined the Partners for Climate Change Program. This innovative program to address climate change at the local level is led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives-Local Governments for Sustainability.
Under the direction of the RDN Climate Change Select Committee, five individual plans (for the RDN, Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, Parksville and Lantzville) plus one overall community plan are being developed to reduce corporate energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
According to Carey McIver, RDN Project Manager, “The RDN and its member municipalities have voluntarily embraced developing climate change and energy plans for their respective operations and the region-wide community. These initiatives reflect an integrated approach to environmental protection and sustainability.”
McIver explains that these individual initiatives emphasize the linkages and coordination of regional and municipal services and the role of local governments in reducing GHG emissions through:
- Land-use, energy and transportation planning
- Infrastructure design
- Purchase and use of sustainable products and services
- Building retrofits
- Water conservation
- Solid waste diversion
- Use of renewable energy
The overall objective is to reduce GHG emissions with the benefits of reducing the region’s impact on climate change, developing more sustainable communities, saving money, and preparing for a carbon trading future.
Showcasing Innovation in the Nanaimo Region
The Climate Change Action Plan is one of four Regional District of Nanaimo projects that will be featured as part of Showcasing Green Infrastructure Innovation on Vancouver Island: The 2007 Series. On September 14, the City of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Nanaimo will be co-hosting the first of three events that comprise the series.
Posted August 2007