Governments Work Together to Address Climate Change

The governments of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick today announced joint funding for Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions, a series of projects to help communities adapt to climate change. The three-year regional adaptation collaborative is aimed at helping Canadians in the Atlantic provinces target local issues such as coastal erosion, flooding and groundwater resource management.

The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of National Revenue, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, stated that Natural Resources Canada would provide $3.5 million of the $8.2 million funding for Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions to help communities integrate climate change adaptation considerations into community plans, engineering practices, and water and resource decisions.

"We must work together to increase our ability to address the impacts of a changing climate," said Minister Ashfield. "Making adaptation-focused decisions now will help our economy, communities and natural resources sectors prepare for climate change impacts in the future."

The projects will tackle climate change impacts by involving 64 partners across the Atlantic region in local initiatives. These partners include federal, provincial and municipal governments; industry; academia; and Aboriginal and non-governmental organizations.

"New Brunswick is proud to have led the development of Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions in collaboration with our colleagues and partners," said the Honourable Rick Miles, Minister of the Environment for New Brunswick. "Adapting to a changing climate is a critical issue for many Atlantic communities. By working together, we will build the tools and necessary resources to support decision-makers in addressing these issues."

"The provinces of Atlantic Canada share a common challenge in dealing with the impacts of climate change," said the Honourable Richard Brown, Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry for Prince Edward Island. "Today's announcement brings us together in an approach that helps this entire region."

"Communities in Atlantic Canada are already experiencing serious impacts during extreme weather events," said the Honourable Sterling Belliveau, Minister of Environment for Nova Scotia. "This investment will provide much-needed guidance to allow our region to adapt to a changing climate."

"The impacts of climate change are evident across the country, particularly when we look at the elevated temperatures and lack of precipitation associated with this past winter," said the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation for Newfoundland and Labrador. "The cumulative efforts of these projects within the Atlantic provinces will certainly help us do our part to address the effects of climate change."

The announcement took place at the Cape Jourimain Interpretive Centre at the foot of the Confederation Bridge in Bayfield, New Brunswick. The centre overlooks the Confederation Bridge and the Northumberland Strait, a body of water on which some of the communities most vulnerable to climate change in Atlantic Canada are located.

The solutions developed through these projects will be shared nationally to ensure that Canadian communities are well-positioned to make appropriate decisions as the climate changes.

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2010 04 23                                                  3:20 p.m.