February 14, 2006 Source: Laurentian University of Sudbury:
http://www.laurentian.ca/?file=newsrelease/2006/february/feb14_climate_e.php Laurentian to lead climate change study with local, provincial and federal partners Sudbury – Laurentian University, in collaboration with a number of stakeholders, including the City of Greater Sudbury, Collège Boréal and Cambrian College, announced the launch of the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program, at Tom Davies Square Monday, February 13, 2006. The project is funded in part through Natural Resources Canada's Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program with financial and in-kind support of other partners, including the City of Greater Sudbury, the Nickel District Conservation Authority, the Ontario ministries of the Environment and Natural Resources, MIRARCo, Environment Canada, Science North, both community colleges, consulting firms, business, industry and community organizations, and the University of Ottawa. The total project budget is $437,850 for one year; it is anticipated that this will expand into a multi-year, multi-faceted project. The principal investigator, Dr. Liette Vasseur, Associate Vice-President, Research at Laurentian University is leading a multi-disciplinary team comprised of a number of Laurentian researchers. The project examines the vulnerability of the City of Greater Sudbury to the potential impacts of climate change. It will also define possible strategies to respond to these changes. The proposal was selected from among 133 submissions from across Canada and has been designed to be a case study applicable to other communities. Climate scenarios for 2020, 2050 and 2080 based on several global models will be considered. With the help of various stakeholders, the project will examine how well some of Sudbury's sectors are likely to be able to adapt to the impacts of climate changes arising from the scenarios, and what the barriers to adaptation might be. The sectors have been grouped into five fields: natural and managed ecosystems, water, municipal infrastructure (including emergency preparedness), health, and socio-economic activities. Integration across the sectors will be ensured through discussions and broad participation of the community. Sudbury's attributes as a bilingual, tri-cultural, medium-sized Canadian Shield community, dependent on natural resources will enable the case study to provide insights applicable elsewhere. Additional information and resources can be obtained from the Research, Development and Creativity office at 705-675-1151, ext. 3944. -30- Reference:
Taylor Paxton
Public Affairs, Laurentian University
Sudbury, Ontario
(705) 675 1151, ext. 3959
tpaxton@laurentian.ca
www.laurentian.ca
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