Survey and Monitoring of Climate Change Resources for the Municipal Sector

Research on climate change adaptation in urban areas has grown in recent years. Many resources (guides, reports, tools, models, processes, methods, etc.) have been developed for the municipal sector by Ouranos and by various actors on a number of levels (local, regional, provincial, federal, international), with the intention of meeting multiple needs and providing a framework for adaptation initiatives.

For an actor who is interested in considering climate change issues, the process of identifying and synthesizing existing information in order to adopt a relevant and structuring adaptation strategy requires a significant amount of work. There is no single place to find this information, and the multiplicity of sources makes the task even more complex. This project aims to address these issues.

• Equip municipalities for their adaptation strategies:

  • create an inventory of existing resources,

  • understand their needs,

  • develop a database and a toolkits for the sector’s use ;

• Guide research and development by government departments and agencies.

• Create a database of existing resources (guides, reports, tools, models, processes, methods, etc.) ;

• Set up a resource classification table to identify adaptation issues and types of resources that are not covered and/or accessible in Québec ;

• Interview users with a variety of profiles in order to understand their needs and resources ;

• Identify adaptation resource user profiles and develop toolkits according to user needs;

• Synthesize the information and recommendations regarding the resources available to help frame adaptation to climate change in the municipal sector.

Nearly 500 resources dealing with climate change adaptation were identified and classified with the aim of creating a computer database that will allow users to select information according to a series of criteria. Municipal actors were consulted on the format and content of the database. The project was monitored by municipal, regional, government and university representatives to ensure that it meets the different needs of the sector. The final deliverables, database, resource documents and toolkits are intended to inform various authorities about the resources. The findings from the interviews with municipal actors and the analysis of the questionnaires identified the sector’s needs as well as resource gaps, providing information about the type and format of the most popular resources. The project produced an inventory of available resources and their use in order to better inform authorities seeking to initiate an adaptation strategy and guide the direction of future R&D work, thereby avoiding redundancy

Main findings from the interviews

• Need for popularization Need for coaching Importance of raising awareness Need for support from public authorities Centralization of information Better availability of case studies and lessons learned

Recommendations

Resource development:

• Update existing resources by integrating adaptation concepts ;

• Demand a popularized version of published research reports ; Include case studies ;

• Focus on resource gaps and issues that have received the least attention (Figures 1 and 2) ;

• Draw inspiration from existing resources in other countries to help Québec municipalities adapt.

Figure 1: Number of resources by type and issue

Figure 2: Number of resources for each stage of the adaptation process

Support for municipal actors:

• Encourage return on experience from municipalities ;

• Encourage the sharing of tools and information ;

• Promote the adaptation process through coaching.

Project follow-up:

• Provide monitoring and update the inventory with new resources ;

• Present and promote the project among actors ; concerned in an appropriate format ;

• Identify ways to facilitate more effective information exchange.