Infrastructure, Planning, and Development
Incorporating climate change into infrastructure planning and design
The historical town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, is located adjacent to the Bay of Fundy and was built upon reclaimed land using dykes and levees. Since its establishment in the 17th century, Annapolis Royal has experienced major flooding at least three times when oceanic waters breeched the town’s levees; projected sea level rise coupled with storm surge will make the town even more vulnerable to flooding in the future. To assess the impact sea level rise will have on the town’s vulnerability, project leaders conducted the Annapolis Royal Tidal Surge Analysis. A team at the Geomatics Center at Nova Scotia Community College generated a flood-risk assessment using LIDAR data, water modeler software, and historical tidal and flood records. Based upon the model, the likelihood that extreme flooding occurs in Annapolis Royal increases from an average ranging from once every 43-121 years to once every 23-55 years due to climate change. A cost-benefit analysis was used to assess a variety of adaptation strategies; upgrading and rebuilding existing levees from 5 m above water to 5.4 m was deemed to be the most effective strategy.
Why is it a good example?
- Local project, small town example (~444 people live in Annapolis Royal)
- Example of a great project that could get off the ground if funding sources were made available
- Example of making infrastructure resistant or resilient to climate change
Incorporating climate change into community planning
Rising sea levels, along with increased storm intensity and associated waves and storm surges, presents risks to residents, property, and infrastructure in coastal areas of Halifax. Extreme weather events have caused extensive damage to communities and the local economy, putting a huge strain on the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), which resulted in massive amounts of unbudgeted spending. In response, the Municipality launched the Halifax Climate SMART: Sustainable Mitigation & Adaptation Risk Toolkit, with the aim of developing a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and creating a management plan to prepare the municipality for projected climate change impacts. The Climate SMART group is a broad collection of partners including HRM, the Province of Nova Scotia, the Government of Canada, and private companies. The Halifax Climate SMART Toolkit includes:
- Risk Management Tool: An asset/activity risk management assessment tool to help assess the vulnerability of physical and environmental assets/activities to climate impacts, under potential climate change scenarios.
- Community-Based Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management Tool: Techniques to identify, quantify, and evaluate anticipated climate vulnerability for the municipality itself, and the broader community.
- Cost/Benefit Assessment Tool: A cost/benefit analysis guide to assist municipal decision-makers to identify and quantify the economic costs and benefits of proposed climate adaptation planning and management measures within HRM’s existing budget, compared with the costs/benefits of a “business as usual” approach.
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Tool: A practical climate adaptation tool and methodology for HRM practitioners to assess the impacts of the environment (i.e., climate change) on the project, in addition to the traditional EIA Guide that assesses the impact of the project on the environment.
- Communications & Outreach Tool: A customized toolkit comprised of several communications and outreach approaches, which targets vulnerable residents and businesses informing and mobilizing them to support HRM-led risk reduction (adaptation) activities and programs.
Why is it a good example?
- Combines mitigation of emissions with adaptation actions