May 6-7, 2011

Center for Social Innovation, Toronto, ON

Convening Partners: EcoAdapt, Freshwater Future

Synopsis

Climate change doesn’t mean that you have to panic or close your eyes and pretend it isn’t happening. This workshop is designed to provide an understanding of the basic approaches and tools to begin to incorporate climate change into your existing conservation efforts. We will explore key concepts in adaptation; approaches to communicating about climate change; and available tools and resources to help you move forward. The session will also include a climate change clinic in which participants will start applying adaptation principles to their own conservation project ideas. Participants should be prepared to briefly describe their own work. Come ready to brainstorm, leave ready to act.

Workshop facilitators:

• Jennie Hoffman
• Kara Scheerhorn
• Cheryl Mendoza

AGENDA and PRESENTATIONS

• Agenda
• Adaptation 101
• Communications
• Impacts
• Tools

HANDOUTS

• Adaptation project worksheet
• Assessing vulnerability cheat sheet
• Climate impacts worksheet
• Climate savvy worksheet
• Is this a climate adaptation project worksheet

USEFUL READING (* indicates resources mentioned during the workshop)

General background material on climate change

*Climate Savvy: Adapting Conservation and Resource Management to a Changing World. Hansen, L.J. and J.R. Hoffman. 2010. Island Press.

Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. United States Global Change Research Program. 2009.

Climate change in the Great Lakes Region

Improving the Odds: Using Climate-Readiness Planning to Reduce the Impacts of Climate Change on the Great Lakes Ecosystem. National Wildlife Federation. 2010.

Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region. Union of Concerned Scientists:

• 2003 series, including solutions documents
• 2009, impacts studies

Great Lakes Restoration & the Threat of Global Warming. Dempsey, D., J. Elder, and D. Scavia. 2008. A Report by the Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition

Climate change and water quality in the Great Lakes region: Risks, opportunities, and responses. Mortsch, L., M. Alden and J. Scheraga. 2003. 

Climate Communication and Education

*The Psychology of Climate Change Communication. Center for Research on Environmental Decisions. 2010. Columbia University.

*Storytelling as Best Practice Video of Andy Goodman describing how non-profits can use storytelling for effective communication

Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences. U.S. Global Change Research Program. 2009.

Curriculum Guide for the Climate Impacts Map. Union of Concerned Scientists. 2000.

Global Warming's Six Americas. 2008. A. Leiserowitz, E. Maibach, and C. Roser-Renouf. Yale Project on Climate Change and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication.

Climate Change Adaptation Guides

Canadian Communities' Guidebook for Adaptation to Climate Change. Bizikova L., T. Neale and I. Burton. 2008

Preparing for Climate Change: A Guidebook for Local, Regional, and State Governments ICLEI, King County, and the Climate Impacts Group. 2007

SOME RELEVANT ADAPTATION CASE STUDIES ON CAKE

*Preparing for Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region Report and Workshop 

Climate Change Adaptation in Kimberley, British Columbia

*Incorporating Climate Change Impacts into Activities in Charlotte Harbor, Florida

SOME USEFUL WEB SITES

*NOAA’s Digital Coast. Provides tools, training, data, and case histories of how these tools have been used for climate adaptation and other coastal management issues.

*Natural Resources Canada Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Tools, publications, and information on the Regional Adaptation Collaboratives

*NOAA Climate Services Good source of all kinds of climate change information

*Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources. Information on several adaptation projects and community-based adaptation efforts.

*Great Lakes Integrated Science and Assessment GLISA’s focus is linking climate science for the Great Lakes and users of that science. Housed at University of Michigan/Michigan State University

*Ontario Regional Adaptation Collaborative Freshwater is one of their focal areas!