“The report draws on data from other agencies such as the Community Energy and Emissions Inventory from the provincial government. Most of the targets in the report have been established in either the City’s Official Community Plan or the Comox Valley Regional Growth Strategy,” explains Nancy Hofer.
“All the impermeable surfaces in cities create the ideal condition for excess water to overwhelm our already strained municipal stormwater systems. Municipalities, property developers and homeowners must work together to better manage stormwater,” stated Bob Sandford.
“To capture audience attention and set a tone, I opened with a reference to ‘Blue Ecology and Climate Change’, an article by Michael Blackstock. He sees as essential the acknowledgement of water’s central functional and spiritual roles in our world, and urges us to apply both respect and science-based understanding,” reports Kim Stephens.
“Local Governments are making significant progress in preparing for a changing climate, from vulnerability assessments to comprehensive climate adaptation plans. Throughout these processes, a key challenge has been translating global climate science to local land-use decisions,” states Chris Jensen.
“Deborah Carlson’s frequent reference to resilience is noteworthy given the need to prepare for wide ranging impacts of unprecedented conditions. This is a ‘must read’ for all staff with roles in preparing their communities and regions for climate change,” states Erik Karlsen.
“The workshop provided a timely opportunity to preview several new modules, in particular the Climate Change Module. In doing so, the audience reaction served as a good litmus test of how others are likely to respond in the coming weeks and months as we ramp up our rollout,” stated Ted van der Gulik.
“Embedded in the tool is a Level-of-Service methodology. This provides the means to quickly and efficiently identify weak links in a drainage system. The methodology evaluates the impacts of a changing climate, as well as changes in land development density,” explains Jim Dumont.
“A threshold may already have been crossed, so that major floods in the Midwest perhaps now should no longer be considered purely natural disasters but instead mixed natural/unnatural disasters. And if emissions keep going up, the forecast is for more extreme storms in the region,” stated Stephen Saunders.
“Green infrastructure practices offers a potential strategy for reducing the flood impacts of climate change. Green infrastructure relies on runoff management measures that seek to control rainwater volume at the source by reducing imperviousness and retaining, infiltrating and reusing rainwater,” states Chris Jensen.
“The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation is intended as a resource for planners and decision makers at all levels of government. The innovative examples we review indicate that green infrastructure investments can provide a cost-effective way to enhance community resilience and prosperity,” said Steve Winkelman.
