The Quebec government announced the creation of a panel of experts on climate change adaptation on September 26, 2023, and the panel’s work began this fall. The names of its members have now been disclosed.
The two co-chairs appointed by Minister Benoit Charette—Alain Webster, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change, and Alain Bourque, Executive Director of Ouranos—have assembled a multidisciplinary team of recognized experts with a two-pronged mandate:
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To identify the most promising avenues for action in the field of adaptation in order to inform decision-making and the development of public policy;
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To identify priorities for the development of scientific knowledge on adaptation, support the government in conducting a comprehensive risk analysis, and make recommendations accordingly.
As climate hazards are increasing in frequency and intensity, the panel’s final report is due to be submitted to the government in spring 2024. It will present recommendations for a Quebec-wide risk analysis that will enable action to be taken in the short term.
The expert panel’s work will help the government maintain a vision of adaptation management based on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge.
The eleven panel members will also be able to draw on contributions from members of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change, particularly in the fields of engineering, health and agriculture, and benefit from the technical support of Groupe AGÉCO.
Composition of the expert panel
Co-chairs:
Alain Bourque, Executive Director, Ouranos
Alain Webster, Professor, Université de Sherbrooke, and Chair of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change
Members:
Michel Allard, Professor Emeritus, Université Laval, and research member of the Centre for Northern Studies
Karine Dauphin, Executive Director, Regroupement des organismes de bassins versants du Québec
Joanna Eyquem, Managing Director, Climate-Resilient Infrastructure, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
Christian Fraser, Research Professional, Université du Québec à Rimouski
Mario Gauthier, Professor, Université du Québec en Outaouais
Yona Jébrak, Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal
Christian Messier, Professor, Université du Québec en Outaouais and Université du Québec à Montréal
Julie-Maude Normandin, Chief Science Advisor, Ville de Longueuil
Jeanne Robin, Senior Director, Vivre en Ville
Collaboration with the Advisory Committee on Climate Change:
Annie Levasseur, Professor, École de technologie supérieure
Marie-Jo Ouimet, Physician specializing in public health and preventive medicine, Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Lota Dabio Tamini, Professor, Université Laval
Quotes :
“Simon Stiell, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, has pointed out the importance of a roadmap that can guide us sector by sector, region by region; one that speaks to potential solutions leading to immediate action. This approach is essential for decarbonization if we are to maintain our objective of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5°C, and just as essential for adaptation, to increase our resilience to this new climate. The expert panel’s work will help shape such a roadmap for adaptation using a science-based approach.”
- Alain Webster, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Climate Change
“To prepare Quebec for the increasingly tangible effects of climate change, the government must make decisions that are informed by science. The role of the expert panel is to provide political decision-makers with a risk analysis and to propose courses of action based on the most up-to-date scientific knowledge. It will then be up to decision-makers to use this collective scientific work to take effective action by mobilizing every sector and Quebec society as a whole.”
- Alain Bourque, Executive Director, Ouranos
“The members of this panel, who were carefully selected by the co-chairs, embody excellence in their respective fields. The panel’s final report will include recommendations for an in-depth, Quebec-wide risk analysis, along with concrete advice to guide our public policy. With access to the latest scientific knowledge, our government will be better equipped to ensure that its interventions produce optimal benefits.”
- Benoit Charette, Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and Minister Responsible for the Laurentides Region
