The Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's Climate Change Adaptation Program provides support to community planning and adaptive capacity in a number of ways including:

• Undertaking risk assessments for existing infrastructure;
• Engaging in water quality improvement and management projects; and,
• Identifying infrastructure designs to reduce risks due to a changing climate and its impact.

The new Climate Change Adaptation Program identifies adaptation priorities and builds the strategic actions necessary to address those priorities.

Supporting the Development of Climate Change Scenarios

The Council of Yukon First Nations, Yukon College and the Government of Yukon's Department of Environment are carrying out a $245,000 two-year project to develop regional climate change scenarios from historical and present climate data.  The project will develop Yukon-specific climate models.

The models will be used by businesses, developers and government decision makers when considering future climate conditions and required adaptation measures.

Project partners gathered historic and current climate information into one complete database available to governments, academia, industry and the public. A workshop will present the project's findings to First Nation, territorial and federal representatives and to industry, academia and the public.

Assessing the vulnerability to climate change and adaptive capacity of Yukon forest tree species and ecosystems

The Forest Management Branch of Energy Mines and Resources and the University of Northern British Columbia have partnered to assess Yukon forest trees and ecosystems vulnerability and adaptability to climate change.

The $175,000 two-year project will provide decision makers with the critical climate change information needed to make long-term forest management decisions.

The project results will strengthen strategic planning, policy development and management practices within the forest sector and improve the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

Infrastructure Vulnerability to Permafrost Degradation

The Government of Yukon's departments of Highways and Public Works and Energy Mines and Resources are working together to determine how the climate change impact on permafrost will affect government buildings throughout the territory.

The $197,500 project will gather background information on permafrost and other climate data, and complete an inventory of all Yukon Government-owned, managed and leased buildings. The final outcome will be a risk and vulnerability assessment to inform decision makers and specialists including engineers, climatologists, geologists and architects on Yukon's infrastructure needs relating to climate change and permafrost degradation.

Over the long term, the information will be available to contractors, engineers and decision makers who will have to consider the construction and maintenance of existing and future government-owned and operated buildings.

Management for Water Users Responding to Climate Change

Environment Yukon's Water Resources Branch is undertaking a $145,500 project to determine how Yukoners will need to adapt to changes in water supply as the glacier flows melt and impact the supply of ground water for drinking and industrial use.

This project will support the development of a web-based information tool to inform water users about changing water regimes in the Yukon.  The information will assist water managers to adapt their water programs to new environmental conditions and climate change.

The tools developed under this project will help First Nations and municipal governments, researchers, government agencies, academia and non-profit organizations in community planning and watershed management.