Module 1: Foundations of Climate Change Policy
Video: Global Commission on Adaptation (gca.org)
Adapting to climate change is important in order: to protect people, communities and livelihoods on a day-to-day basis, to reduce vulnerability, and to build resilience. This allows all of us to thrive amidst the consequences of a changing climate.
In your sector, (whether as engineers, hydrologists, agrologists or in another profession), your day-to-day activities largely take place within a policy framework of some kind, whether legislative, regulatory, or in the form of guidelines.
Whether you are aware of it yet or not, you are also working within the climate change policy space. This policy space can include frameworks as high level and voluntary as, for example agreements made by Canada to participate as a member country in the international Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc.ch), or as locally based as a Climate Adaptation chapter in a BC municipality’s Official Community Plan (OCP).
This course will provide information about the range of climate policy frameworks that act as context, and/or act as the ‘rulebook’ for your work as industry professionals. It will also offer discussions and activities that allow you to consider how to apply this knowledge in your own function and role.
This module (Module 1) covers topics like: the role of public policy, what is climate adaptation policy, why do we need climate adaptation policy, and the connection between higher level policy and your work as professionals.
So what will you be doing in this module? You will watch some lecture video content, hear interviews with relevant experts in short videos, read some materials and respond to a few questions about them, and finally, contribute to some class discussions. You can work through the material in any order you like. Welcome to Module 1 !
Discussion #1 – Climate Change Adaptation Impacts and Issues
This first discussion space will set the stage for your learning in this course, by thinking first about climate change impacts. It will also allow you to share your ideas and knowledge with other learners.
Please click on the link above to start a new thread, and share your thoughts on the following topic:
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND ISSUES THAT YOU SEE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS IN YOUR JOB?
Respond to at least two other people’s posts (or as many as you like), in order for us to generate a conversation about this topic amongst our class. I will also respond to as many as I can.
Let me start with an example from my own day-to-day experience, so you can see the kind of thing I am hoping you can also share.
Every year at Vancouver Island University, we have a number of ‘snow days’ where school is cancelled to reduce risks to faculty, staff and students from travelling to and from, and also reduce risk from being on our hilly campus with its own cooler microclimate. As climate change advances, we expect to see more extreme weat