A systematic review of observed climate change adaptation in developed nations
Ford, J. et al. (2011). Climatic Change Letters 106(2), 327-336, DOI: 10.1007/s10584-011-0045-5. Download PDF (Open Access).
We develop and apply a systematic mixed-methods literature review methodology to identify and characterize how climate change adaptation is taking place in developed nations. We find limited evidence of adaptation action. Where interventions are being implemented and reported on, they are typically in sectors that are sensitive to climate impacts, are most common at the municipal level, facilitated by higher-level government interventions, with responses typically institutional in nature. There is negligible description of adaptation taking place with respect to vulnerable groups, with reporting unequal by region and sector. The methodology offers important insights for meta-analyses in climate change scholarship and can be used for monitoring progress in adaptation over time.
Pearce. T., Ford, J., et al. (2011). Regional Environmental Change, 11, 1–17. Find PDF.
This paper reviews scientific and gray literature addressing climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) in the western Canadian Arctic. The review is structured using a vulnerability framework, and 420 documents related directly or indirectly to climate change are analyzed to provide insights on the current state of knowledge on climate change vulnerability in the ISR as a basis for supporting future research and long-term adaptation planning in the region. The literature documents evidence of climate change in the ISR which is compromising food security and health status, limiting transportation access and travel routes to hunting grounds, and damaging municipal infrastructure. Adaptations are being employed to manage changing conditions; however, many of the adaptations being undertaken are short term, ad-hoc, and reactive in nature. Limited long-term strategic planning for climate change is being undertaken. Current climate change risks are expected to continue in the future with further implications for communities but less is known about the adaptive capacity of communities. This review identifies the importance of targeted vulnerability research that works closely with community members and decision makers to understand the interactions between current and projected climate change and the factors which condition vulnerability and influence adaptation. Research gaps are identified, and recommendations for advancing adaptation planning are outlined.
In collaboration with Inuit Qaujisarvingat: the Inuit Knowledge Centre (IKC) at ITK and the Nunavut Research Institute, we’re in the final stages of our project What we know, don’t know, and need to know about climate change in Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut: A systematic literature review and gap analysis. A “pre-release” copy of the report is available for download at left, and the final printed report is due out in May.
One of the challenges faced by decision-makers is to stay abreast of the rapidly expanding body of academic and non-academic literature regarding the human dimensions of climate change. This report seeks to address that challenge with a focused survey of what’s available concerning three of Canada’s four Inuit regions, and it complements a 2009 report on the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) by focusing on gaps in knowledge as well as the enablers and barriers to adaptive capacity at various scales. To survey the academic literature it uses a systematic review methodology, which in effect tosses the literature collection net widely and refines the sample of collected documents down to those most relevant to the research focus.
The map below identifies the communities of Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut, and it geocodes the studies reviewed in this project to their corresponding communities. It is also available on the IKC website.
View Eastern Arctic Lit Review in a larger map
The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in the Khumbu Region of Nepal: Implications of Hydrological Modification
Graham McDowell holds an Honours degree (First class) in Geography from McGill University, which he received in June 2011 upon submission of this honours thesis. Download PDF
Maude Beaumier’s work on food security among women in Arviat was recently profiled in Nunatsiaq News. Read the original story by Sarah Rogers here.
Sarah Curley and Hilda Panigonak clutch their notes tightly.
The two young women from Arviat are at a conference presenting a research project on access to nutritious food among local women.
It’s nerve-wracking, but the women know they have a captive audience.
Statistics tell part of their story: Arviat, one of the largest communities in Nunavut, has the highest birth rate in the territory. read more…
Pearce, T., Ford, J. et al. (2011). Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change:16 (3), 347-368. Find PDF.
Climate is an important component of the operating environment for the Canadian mining sector. However, in recent years mines across Canada have been affected by significant climatic hazards, several which are regarded to be symptomatic of climate change. For the mining sector, climate change is a pressing environmental threat and a significant business risk. The extent to which the mining sector is able to mitigate its own impact and adapt to climate change will affect its long-term success and prosperity, and have profound economic consequences for host communities. This paper draws upon case studies conducted with mining operations in Canada involving in-depth interviews with mining professionals and analysis of secondary sources to characterize the vulnerability of the Canadian mining industry to climate change. Five key findings are discussed: i) mines in the case studies are affected by climate events that are indicative of climate change, with examples of negative impacts over the past decade; ii) most mine infrastructure has been designed assuming that the climate is not changing; iii) most industry stakeholders interviewed view climate change as a minor concern; iv) limited adaption planning for future climate change is underway; v) significant vulnerabilities exist in the post-operational phase of mines. This paper argues for greater collaboration among mining companies, regulators, scientists and other industry stakeholders to develop practical adaptation strategies that can be integrated into existing and new mine operations, including in the post-operational phase.
Dr. James Ford's poster, #77
Five members of the research group are at the ArcticNet Annual Science Meeting in Ottawa this week, presenting a number of posters and topical sessions
On Thursday, James Ford is presenting the project “Climate Change and Food Security among at-Risk Populations in Regional Inuit Centres” in a topical session at 15:30. Marie-Pierre Lardeau is presenting in the same session on “The Use of Photovoice to Explore the Food Security of Users of Community Food Programs in Iqaluit, Nunavut.” James and Marie-Pierres’ presentations will be available in this post on Thursday. For more information about this project, visit our research themes page.
The group is also presenting three posters at ArcticNet. James Ford is presenting the poster “Is Canadian federal support for climate change and health research consistent with the risks posed?” (#77), which is based on an article in press at AJPH. KC Bolton’s poster “What we know, don’t know, and need to know about climate change in Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut,” is located at position #1. Finally, Will Vanderbilt is presenting a poster on the group’s online outreach efforts, “Communicating the effects of Climate Change on the Canadian North, A Multimedia Approach” (#35).
For more information about the research group, visit the group members page, and keep an eye on this space for images of all of the posters presented.
From left: Carrie Grable, ITK; Dr. Scot Nickels, ITK; Jim Henderson, McGill; KC Bolton; Martin Lougheed, ITK
Representatives from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) visited McGill this week to take part in a skill-sharing session on systematic reviews organized by team member KC Bolton and librarian Jim Henderson. ITK, the national Inuit advocacy organization based in Ottawa, has recently initiated Inuit Qaujisarvingat: The Inuit Knowledge Centre with the goal of advancing Inuit knowledge for sustainable Arctic science and policy. The Vulnerability and Adaptation Research Group is working on a number of projects with them, including a project sponsored by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to characterize the state of knowledge regarding climate change adaptation in the Canadian Arctic.
For Immediate Release
November 1, 2010
Download the PDF press release here
Find the scientific article in Global Environmental Change here
Download the scientific article as a Word document here
McGill Study Asks “Are We Adapting to Climate Change?”
Delegates from around the world are preparing for the UN climate change talks that kick off in Mexico at the end of the month. While debate over emissions targets continues to rage in the wake of last year’s talks in Copenhagen, there is one area where nations agree: we’re going to have to adapt.
Yet despite the newfound interest in adaptation, it remains unclear if adaptation is possible or what challenges we will face. A study released last week in the prestigious scientific journal Global Environmental Change, led by Dr Berrang-Ford at McGill University, sheds light on these questions. Posing the question, Are we adapting to climate change?, the study highlights that adaptation is already taking place and is possible but is piecemeal and ad hoc in nature. read more…
Berrang-Ford, L., Ford, J., and Patterson, J. Global Environmental Change (21), 25-33. Find PDF.
Human systems will have to adapt to climate change. Understanding of the magnitude of the adaptation challenge at a global scale, however, is incomplete, constrained by a limited understanding of if and how adaptation is taking place. Here we develop and apply a methodology to track and characterize adaptation action; we apply these methods to the peer-reviewed, English-language literature. Our results challenge a number of common assumptions about adaptation while supporting others read more…
The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in the Khumbu Region of Nepal: Implications of Hydrological Modifiction
Graham McDowell. Poster Presentation at the 2010 McGill Undergraduate Research Conference. The poster was awarded first prize in the Health & Social Science category. Click the image below to view a larger version.
Feeding the family during times of stress: experience and determinants of food insecurity in an Inuit community
Ford, J. and Beaumier, B. The Geographical Journal. Find PDF.
This paper uses a mixed methods approach to characterise the experience of food insecurity among Inuit community members in Igloolik, Nunavut, and examine the conditions and processes that constrain access, availability, and quality of food. We conducted semi-structured interviews (n= 66) and focus groups (n= 10) with community members, and key informant interviews with local and territorial health professionals and policymakers (n= 19). read more…
Earlier this summer, following eleven days of ILMP research on southern Baffin Island, I departed for a two-month stint in Nepal. I was there to conduct the field research component of my Honours thesis: ‘The Human Dimensions of Climate Change in the Khumbu Region of Nepal: Implications of Hydrological Modification’. I have just returned to Montreal.
Once in Nepal, and before heading into the mountains, I took time to meet with various decision-makers and researchers in the capital city of Kathmandu. These individuals enriched my understanding of the context I was working in and, thus, improved my study design and the quality of research I was able to carry out. Kathmandu to my study sites in Khumbu required an exciting prop-plane ride to the precariously situated Lukla Airport followed by a two-day hike to my starting point, Namache Bazzar (3,440m). read more…
Vulnerability of community infrastructure to climate change in Nunavut: A case study from Arctic Bay
Ford, J. et al. In: Smit et al (eds) Climate change vulnerability and adaption in Arctic regions. Find PDF.
This paper uses a vulnerability approach to characterize infrastructural vulnerability to climate change, drawing upon a case study from the Inuit community of Arctic Bay. Interviews with community members and geomorphological observations indicate a number of exposure-sensitivities which currently affect the community and which have the potential to become more problematic with future climate change. read more…
Read the full interview on SciencePoles, the scientific website of the International Polar Foundation.
Food security (when food is available, accessible and of sufficient quality) is a major issue for the Inuit of northern Canada. Climate change is making it increasingly more difficult for hunters to access traditional hunting routes and changing animals’ natural distribution areas. On top of this, traditional hunting knowledge is not being passed from one generation to the next as easily as it used to, and the cost of living in the Canadian Arctic is exorbitant.
In the following interview, Marie-Pierre Lardeau of McGill University in Montréal discusses food security issues Inuit in many parts of Canada are facing as well as some of the projects she and her colleagues including are working on with Dr James Ford to document the current situation.
