EDMONTON
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Our climate is already changing, both globally and locally. It’s affecting our weather, environment, economy and health. Unless significant global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions occur, climate change will have serious and continued impacts on Edmonton.
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The good news is that we can position ourselves to be better able to withstand and adapt to these changes. We can create and follow a pathway that will help us manage the risks of climate change. We can increase our knowledge, adjust our lifestyles and adapt to changes that have already taken place. This document—Climate Resilient Edmonton: Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan—will help set Edmonton on this path so that we can be prepared for and respond to anticipated climate change impacts.
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While climate change efforts are underway at both national and provincial levels, cities are often leaders in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives. Edmonton is one of those cities. The City of Edmonton is already in the process of implementing our Community Energy Transition Strategy, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Edmonton.
Our Climate Resilient Edmonton: Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan is complementary to those efforts. It’s also part of the City Council’s Initiative on Energy Transition and Climate Resilience and the City of Edmonton’s overall leadership on climate change issues. The plan focuses on understanding how the climate impacts we are already experiencing may shift in the future due to ongoing climate change. It looks at what this means for our community and provides insight into how we can build resilience for those impacts.
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There is international recognition that climate change is an urgent threat and that global pursuits are needed to reduce GHG emissions and limit global warming. Ninety-seven percent of actively publishing climate scientists agree that the world is experiencing a change in climate caused by humans (Cook et al. 2016). Historical climate records also show the world is warming at unprecedented rates. These climate records indicate that Edmonton is warming at a faster rate than the global average. Scientists predict that Edmonton will be exposed to higher temperatures, drier summers, more extreme precipitation events, more variable extreme weather events, and an overall warmer and drier climate (see Chapter 3). Without action, these impacts can exacerbate existing climate pressures on our economic, social, infrastructure, and environmental systems.
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How will Edmonton adapt to these effects of climate change? We need to work towards becoming a climate resilient city—a city in which our institutions, communities, businesses, and individuals have the capacity to function, survive, adapt and thrive in response to any sudden and short disruption they may experience. This plan will guide us, through its paths, goals, strategies and actions. In 2016, we began an investigation to understand how Edmonton’s climate has already changed and how it might change in the future.
We conducted an Edmonton-specific climate risk and vulnerability assessment. We also determined the potential risks and opportunities these changes could present for our communities. Climate Resilient Edmonton: Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan is the result of this work. With its foundation in science and evidence, it sets a pathway towards climate resilience. It’s our way towards a bright future as we face the effects of climate change.
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As part of our research and knowledge gathering, we spoke with Edmontonians. They told us that they’re worried about the changing climate—a 2018 poll of residents indicates that 73% are concerned about climate change and 72% think that we need to act now to respond to climate change. Our residents are critical to helping us become more adaptable and resilient, which is why we included their opinions in forming a vision for our strategy.
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We also consulted with other stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop this plan. The knowledge these experts shared with us formed an important part of our learning and evidence gathering process.