Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Education in Tantramar 2017 -Project (Report)- CA
Project Summary
EOS was awarded a New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund grant to address adaptation in the region with education and planning.
The goals of the project were to:
(1) Better prepare the region for climate change impacts.
(2) Raise awareness among the public about climate change and adaptation.
(3) Raise awareness among other environmental non-profit organizations about how to do community- based adaptation projects.
Specifically we wrote a literature review on social indicators of climate adaptation; coordinated a vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan for Dorchester; planned the 5th annual Tantramar Climate Change Week; coordinated the Tantramar Climate Change Adaptation Collaborative and its annual workshop (where impacts were measured and a new five year plan was developed); prepared a community-based adaptation “how-to guide” for non-profits; and performed various innovative outreach activities on adaptation including Youtube videos and hands-on activities for youth. This final project report summarizes these activities, our methods, and results. We conclude by offering recommendations for further climate adaptation work in Tantramar.
In conclusion, climate change adaptation is progressing in the Tantramar region as a result of this project. More messages and information have been shared with more people. More adaptation actions have been agreed upon both at the local level in Dorchester and for the region as a whole within the Collaborative. Resiliency has improved and we saw this during the ice storm, blizzard and power outages of the last year. There was reportedly more preparation and less panic. More expertise has been generated at EOS and this is being shared with other environmental groups.
Adaptation is an ongoing process and in Tantramar, one of the province’s most vulnerable regions, more work is still needed. We recommend continuing the Tantramar Climate Change Adaptation Collaborative as the new plan is filled with excellent and much-needed actions at the regional level. Climate Change Week has become a staple in the region which many people look forward to and new groups want to host activities each year such as the Chignecto Naturalists this past year. The week would not happen without coordination and promotion by EOS. As a result of local flood risk reduction studies, the need for a Tantramar watershed committee and water quality-monitoring program is evident because climate change will impact our water resources and it is important to monitor impacts and changes at the watershed level. Water quality monitoring has been lacking in the Rockport to Cape Tourmentine region for far too long. In addition, as adaptation and mitigation efforts together create resiliency there is a need to implement existing emissions reduction plans and offer a resiliency and sustainable living workshop series with tangible information and skill building in home energy efficiency, waste reduction and home composting, wild food harvesting, solar energy and more. Finally, general public outreach needs to continue along with actions on the ground and EOS is committed to further reducing and adapting to climate change at the local level.

Read the full report here:
Climate Change Adaptation Planning and Education Final Report 2017
Read the Community-Based Dorchester Adaptation Plan here:
Dorchester Adaptation Plan 2017
Acknowledgements
EOS Eco-Energy wishes to acknowledge the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, which funded this climate change adaptation project. We are also grateful for the contributions made by Dr. Paul Arp (wet areas map animations as part of the Dorchester adaptation planning process), Dr. David Lieske and Laura Penney (Dorchester community risk and vulnerability mapping workshop), Fort Folly First Nation (meeting space), as well as those on the Dorchester climate change adaptation committee and members of the public who contributed to Dorchester’s community-based adaptation plan. We thank James Bornemann of the Southeast Regional Service Commission for GIS mapping support for the project. The 5th annual Tantramar Climate Change Week could not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the planning committee and local volunteers in each community. We also thank all of the organizations, businesses homeowners, and speakers who volunteered their time to make our Climate Change Week events a great success. In addition, we are grateful to Tantramar-Memramcook schools who opened their doors to us again and allowed us to teach about climate adaptation and severe weather preparedness. Finally, members of the Tantramar Climate Change Adaptation Collaborative working group are also thanked for their time spent on organizing the annual Collaborative workshop.