BC’s draft Climate Preparedness & Adaptation Strategy is open for public comment

We’re only halfway through the summer, and already we’ve experienced record-breaking heat waves, low rainfall and drought conditions, and devastating wildfires across the province. BC’s climate is changing, and these types of climate impacts are expected to become more frequent and severe in the future, affecting our health, treasured ecosystems and non-human beings, livelihoods, infrastructure, water supply, and agriculture.

As part of climate adaptation and resilience measures being taken by all levels of government, the government of BC has produced a draft Climate Preparedness & Adaptation Strategy: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/climatereadybc/ - and you’re invited to provide feedback and ideas! The strategy is open for public comment until August 12. Individuals can submit comments to ClimateReadyBC@gov.bc.ca while organizations should review the written submission criteria before submitting.

The strategy aims to strengthen our capacity to anticipate and respond to climate events and impacts, with the goal of protecting people, communities, and ecosystems in BC. In it, you can read about short-term actions being taken this year, such as improving provincial-level response to extreme heat and wildfire smoke for unhoused and housing insecure populations. The strategy also outlines proposed plans for 2022 – 2025, including strengthening individual & community health in a changing climate, promoting watershed security and marine resilience, and increasing building and infrastructure resilience.

One of the priority action categories in Central Saanich’s Climate Leadership Plan is “Adaptation to Climate Change. We are working to better understand the risks we face from climate change – such as through collaboration with the CRD on a comprehensive Capital Region Coastal Flood Inundation Mapping Project – and are approaching the current Official Community Plan review through a lens of climate action & resilience. Our newly updated Tree Bylaw is a step towards enhancing the value of natural assets, as is our recent work to restore habitat in Adam Kerr Park. And let’s not forget the 360-panel solar array on the roof of Fire Station #1, a great example of local renewable energy resilience!

Climate change will affect each one of us here in BC. Take this opportunity to share your ideas and solutions – whether personal, professional or community-based – and contribute to a strategy that is informed by our lived experiences and helps build towards a climate-resilient future.