Adapting to climate change in the Canadian plains

The Leader-Post (Saskatchewan): A $6.6-million program to help the Prairie provinces deal with the impact of climate change on water resources, forests and grasslands was announced at the University of Regina on Tuesday. Ottawa and the governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba will fund the three-year Prairie Regional Adaptation Collaborative program, which is part of the federal government's plan to help Canadians adapt to climate change.

Natural Resources Canada will provide $3.3 million of the $6.6 million in funding for the Prairie RAC to help integrate climate change considerations into decision-making in policy, planning and operations, including drought and flood protection.

"Decisions have been made around the world to help mitigate the impact of changing climates, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction,'' said David Anderson, parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources, Christian Paradis. "Adapting to changing climates by strengthening our capacity to deal with the risks (of climate change) is equally important,'' Anderson said.

Led by the University of Regina, the projects will tackle climate change impacts by involving 12 partners across the Prairies, including the federal, provincial and municipal governments, First Nations, non-governmental organizations, industry and universities. Projects will advance adaptation to climate change in the areas of water resource management, drought and flooding protection, terrestrial ecosystem policies and enhanced community planning….