Canada Creates Climate Change Panel of Experts
The panel will support the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which is Canada's plan to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and create clean growth and jobs through investments in clean technology, innovation, and infrastructure.
Catherine McKenna, Canada's minister of Environment and Climate Change, on Aug. 29 announced the creation of the Expert Panel on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Results, saying that preparing for the effects of climate change before they happen will make Canadian communities stronger and healthier for this generation and beyond.
The panel will advise the government of Canada on measuring progress on adaptation and climate resilience to better understand how federal, provincial, and territorial adaptation efforts are building the country's resilience to climate change, such as by providing up-to-date information, supporting climate-smart infrastructure, and updating building codes.
The panel will support the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, which is Canada's plan to meet its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and create clean growth and jobs through investments in clean technology, innovation, and infrastructure.
Dr. Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, will chair the panel, which will include academic, private sector, government, non-government, and Indigenous representation. "All regions of Canada are subject to the impacts of a changing climate. In response to these impacts, the Expert Panel will serve a critical role in informing how we measure progress on advancing resilience and limiting extreme weather risk experienced by Canadians," Feltmate said.
"Acting now to deal with current and future climate change impacts will help protect Canadians from climate change risks and reduce their costs from climate-related damage and health issues," McKenna said. "By developing made-in-Canada adaptation expertise and technology to deal with the effects of climate change, we will create good middle-class jobs and spur innovation. The work of the Expert Panel will help us to better understand how all levels of government are helping to protect communities across Canada from the effects of climate change."