Five New Brunswick communities\u2014St. Stephen, St. Andrews, St. George, Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan\u2014are actively preparing for sea-level rise and storm surge. With facilitation help from the St Croix Estuary Project and Eastern Charlotte Waterways, working groups of community members have identified which regions and members of their community are most vulnerable to flooding.<\/p>\n
Over several months, each community\u00a0held five facilitated sessions focused on infrastructure, socio-economics, environment, governance and options. \u201cOur climate change meetings were a combination of excellent, science-based presentations on the town\u2019s sea level rise and storm water issues, coupled with citizen engagement, discussion and recommendations,\u201d observes \u00a0Stan Choptiany, Mayor of Saint Andrews.<\/p>\n
The communities employed LIDAR-based digital-elevation mapping, and planning tools such as the Community Vulnerability Assessment Tool (CVAT, first developed by NOAA and used in both the US and Canada) and the Vulnerability-to-Resilience (V2R) tool (adapted for use in the Atlantic region). \u201cSeeing the dramatic ramifications on our historic district is helping our Town Council shape mitigation strategies, identify priorities for action, and more fully engage citizens,\u201d Choptiany adds. \u201cThe Charlotte County community vulnerability assessment project was an exceptional and effective process.\u201d<\/p>\n Support for the project came from Environment Canada (through its Atlantic Ecosystem and Science Horizons Initiatives); the Province of New Brunswick\u2019s Environmental Trust Fund; and the Intact Foundation.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_search admin_label=”Search field” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” exclude_pages=”on” exclude_posts=”off” hide_button=”off” custom_css_main_element=”background-color:#F1F1F1;”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_search][et_pb_button admin_label=”Button” button_url=”http:\/\/visitor.r20.constantcontact.com\/d.jsp?llr=f9uznsbab&p=oi&m=1101203821381&sit=jqtzxvebb&f=d7375947-75a7-48b2-9a83-36b5198e942a” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Sign up for Quarterly Climate Outlook” button_alignment=”center” background_layout=”light” custom_button=”off” button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”default” button_icon_placement=”right” button_on_hover=”on” button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_button][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Credit: Sherry Godlewski<\/p><\/div>\n Projected Temperature Changes in the Gulf of Maine Region by the 2050s (\u00b0C.), reflecting the most recent IPCC models (Credit: Adam Fenech, UPEI Climate Lab)<\/p><\/div>\n What\u2019s Climate Change and What\u2019s Just the Weather?<\/b><\/p>\n This one-minute animation by Ole Christoffer Haga, produced by Teddy TV for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, clearly and humorously illustrates the difference between long-term climate trends and variable weather patterns.<\/p>\n![\"St-Andrews-NB---SCEP\"](\"http:\/\/www.gulfofmaine.org\/2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/St-Andrews-NB-SCEP.png\")
Photo: St. Croix Estuary Project<\/small><\/span><\/p>\n\n
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