May 5

Stephen King, Manager, Environmental Management Services, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)
http://www.halifax.ca/environment/ems_index.html

Stephen King provided participants with a municipal perspective of adaptation strategies for climate change. He said that the municipality has gone “down this road,” due in large part to concerns over public health and safety. The HRM has adopted an integrated approach to environmental sustainability and a corporate logo, “Naturally Green.” The logo is included in all the municipality’s activities and in its corporate newsletter.

The municipality’s climate change program, ClimateSMART, uses a tripartite approach to its goal of integrating and mainstreaming greenhouse gas emissions strategies. King emphasized the “absolute importance that this program ties in with the municipality’s 25-year plan as well as its corporate scorecard.” The municipality has completed a corporate sustainability analysis that calls for green procurement, green buildings, and a corporate green culture.

King said that with Halifax’s increasing number of severe weather events such as ice storms, back-to-back blizzards, spring flooding, and the tail ends of hurricanes, ClimateSMART seemed the logical way forward to minimize impacts. The recent 40–45-day drought in the region had a huge impact, King said, adding that exotic pests such as the Japanese beetle also signify climate change. “All is not well in the Garden of Eden,” he said.

Faced with the impacts of weather extremes, the municipality realized it had neither a plan nor the resources to address the issue. However, subsequent negotiations with the private sector moved the agenda forward. Thus, with enabling funds from various partners, ClimateSMART evolved with the following components:

a multi-disciplinary steering committee;

long-term and immediate priorities;

a very sector-specific approach, which is important in Nova Scotia (e.g., close collaboration with coal burning industries);

costs/benefits assessments;

emissions management and adaptation policies;

communications and outreach.

ClimateSMART will ensure that documents are implemented as guidelines, and policy does not end up gathering dust on shelves. As such, King said that a portal approach in the process is of paramount importance both externally and internally.

King stressed that none of this would be possible without the current partners, which include local universities, NGOs, community and local businesses, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the federal government. Concluding, King summarized that the HRM has taken a holistic approach with ClimateSMART, noting that its recent official adoption has facilitated moving ahead with the initiatives.

In the ensuing question period, a participant asked if the municipality’s adaptive strategies are ultimately linked to energy, and where exactly it is focusing its adaptive management efforts. King replied that the approach is multi-faceted, and provided some concrete examples of projects underway. New wastewater treatment plants are being built to allow for a rise in sea level. On the mitigation side, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is supporting a move towards community and district energy, where co-generation of thermal energy could power hospitals and universities.

2005-04-05