Climate Change and Vulnerable Communities

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Climate Change and Vulnerable Communities
A Municipal Stakeholders Perspective
Don C. MacIver Deputy-Reeve and County Councilor
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DUFFERIN COUNTY
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NIAGARA ESCARPMENT AND AREA
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MANAGING FOR EXTREMES IN DUFFERIN
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A CHANGING LANDSCAPE AND ENVIRONMENT
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Changing Winds and Properly Engineered
Infrastructure in Dufferin
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SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
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IMPACTS OF INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE WASTE DISPOSAL
VERSUS SINGLE TRUCK COLLECTION SYSTEM COMMUNITY
OF 4000/1200 HOUSEHOLDS

• DIRECT BENEFIT
• Energy (GJ) 54,703 to 2,348
  Tonnes/year Electricity for 1200
  homes/year
• Equiv. CO2 5,750 to 1,246
  Tonnes/year Emissions from
  1260cars/year
• CO-BENEFITS
• NOx 33.5 to 1.4
  Tonnes/year Emissions from 1500
  cars/year
• SOx 8.4 to
  .35 Tonnes/year Electricity for
  1043 homes/year
• PM 6.2 to
  .4 Tonnes/year Electricity for
  1117 homes/year
• VOCs 15.1 to .9
  Tonnes/year Emissions from 446
  cars/year
• Cd (air) .04 to
  0 Kg/year Electricity for
  2425 homes/year
• ANCILLARY BENEFITS
• Impact equivalents for Net Life Cycle
  Management are significantly higher for heavy
  metals
• Significant savings in road maintenance (26,000
  cars per year versus one truck)
• Significant savings in individual vehicle
  repairs (combination of salt/gravel/mud
  exposures)
• Improved cost-efficiences, control of the
  energy and waste stream, source separation,
  compaction and reduced volumes/ shipping, and
  improved wildlife conservation.

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ADAPTATION DECISION-MAKING
HAZARDS
DISASTERS
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ADAPTATION ACTIONS ALREADY UNDERWAY CONSISTENT
WITH CLIMATE CHANGE

• Rehabilitation of Cold-Water Streams -- shade
  trees and deep-pools (GRCA, Ducks
  Unlimited/Public)
• Official Plans --- groundwater
  management/climate barriers to agric. lands/
  water taking authority/ biosolids spreading/
  nutrient management plans/ education of reviewers
  ---- all actions must be defensible at OMB or in
  Court (experts?)
• Emergency Planning --- Road Weather Watch
  Programs (ARES/County Coordinator/Env. Canada)
• Drinking-Water Management --- up-grading
  community systems (raw water?) Well-Head
  Protection Alert System (Health Canada/Env.
  Canada)
• Health Advisories --- Water, West-Nile Disease
  .
• Social Services --- Infrastructure eg. Air
  Conditioning.

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OFFICIAL PLANS AND LAND-USE PLANNING
WATER MANAGEMENT
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Adaptation Actions under discussion Consistent
with Climate Change

• CLIMATE CHANGE EQUALIZATION PAYMENTS FOR FARMERS
  TASK FORCE ON AGRICULTURE LEVEL THE CLIMATE
  PLAYING FIELD, ESPECIALLY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
• CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE HEADWATERS CENTRE FOR
  SUSTAINABILITY (WATER RESERVOIRS, CLIMATE CHANGE
  DETECTION, AGRIC. VARIETIES, WILDLIFE, WIND
  ENERGY)
• FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT SEVERANCES, BRIDGES.
• DUST/WEED CONTROL --- AIR QUALITY/INVASIVE
  SPECIES
• ROAD MANAGEMENT PAVING VERSUS GRAVEL, HEALTH
• RECREATION ECO-TOURISM WINTER/SUMMER.
• SECURITY/PROTECTION GRASS FOREST FIRES.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES ---
PUBLIC VULNERABILITY
WALK THE TALK
don.maciver_at_sympatico.ca