Ontario adapting to climate change

Better Farming (Canada): While it faces challenges in reducing greenhouse gases, Ontario is doing better with its strategy to adapt to change, Ontario’s environmental commissioner says.

Following the release of his report - Ready for Change? an assessment of Ontario’s climate change adaptation strategy - at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, Gord Miller observed in a news release that “the Ontario government is off to an encouraging start in preparing the province for the impacts of climate change.”

While he endorsed the government’s plan, Climate Ready, Ontario’s Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan, 2011-2014, Miller’s news release said “there are gaps in its strategy to limit the damage that will be caused by fiercer and more frequent ice storms, heavy rains, and heat waves.” He says in his report that the government must prioritize required actions, set targets and timelines and outline responsibilities of key government ministries.

“In essence,” Miller’s report says, “a successful strategy should focus on what new things need to be done, as well as look for ways to improve those actions already underway.”

Miller complains in his report that, “Climate Ready identifies decisive actions to address adaptation needs in Ontario, but fails to clearly indicate how these will be prioritized for implementation over the four-year timeframe of the strategy.”...

For all the heraldry buffs out there: That's Ontario's coat of arms

Flood damage in a few Ontario towns exceeds $25 million

Monica Wolfson in the Windsor Star (Ontario): This year's heavy rainfall caused millions in property damage and has put pressure on area municipalities to address flooding issues.

At least $25 million in property damage was caused from flooding of almost 1,000 homes during six storms that were categorized as one in 100-year events. It was hard to avoid the rain and snow in 2011 - 1,542 millimetres of the wet stuff fell by Dec. 20. That's a 73 per cent increase over the norm of 892 millimetres.

"I think it was a combination of bad luck with storms stalled over Windsor," said David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada. "The frequency of storms (in the future) isn't so clear. But when it rains, it will be heavier amounts."

Heavy rainfall over short periods of time caused severe flooding in Amherstburg, South Windsor, Harrow, Belle River and Tecumseh this year. Municipalities have to think about fixing flood problems, which could cost at least $100 million, but also consider improving infrastructure. "You don't want to overreact and rejig criteria," said Tim Byrne, flood and erosion control officer with the Essex Region Conservation Authority. "But you have to pause and look at the areas affected."...

Pair of ducks swimming in Malden Park

Adapt now to climate change, panel warns

Tanya Talaga in the Toronto Star: Ontario needs to construct flood-proof roads, improve building guidelines and enact local emergency response plans to cope with extreme weather threats, warns a blue-ribbon report on combatting climate change. That grim news comes from Ontario's 11-person expert panel on climate-change adaptation, which includes Dr. Ian Burton and Dr. Barry Smit, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.

They are urging Premier Dalton McGuinty's government to use their 96-page report, the culmination of two years of work, as the province's template for coping with the changing climate.

Temperatures are steadily on the rise and flooding, droughts and severe weather scenarios need to be considered in most infrastructure planning, they say. The latest projected climate scenarios for Ontario in 2050 show an increase in the annual average temperature of 2.5 C to 3.7 C compared to what was seen from 1961 to 1990. The Far North will be hit the hardest by climate change, experiencing more snow and greater flooding, affecting roads, bridges and First Nations communities.

While Ontario can play a part in limiting greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, what actually happens to the broader climate depends on the actions of other countries, the report noted. "Adaptation, however, is much more within our control," it says. "Adapt, we can and must."

By this spring Ontario should produce a "climate change adaptation action plan," able to guide policy creation in everything from physical infrastructure – such as building better roads and bridges – to agriculture, water, at-risk species and human health, the report said….

Attention, heraldry lovers, that's Ontario's coat of arms, rendered by Necronaut