WhiteCAP_Plan_01SEPT..

Northern Climate ExChange WhiteCAP Draft Plan
2.0 Whitehorse Adaptation Planning Process
The Whitehorse adaptation planning process was created to manage the complexity
associated with regional climate change. The process was inspired by the Risk-
Constrained Organization approach to strategic management described by Masch
(2004) to achieve a “natural” approach to decision-making. The natural approach
“…does not rely on any unwarranted assumptions and incorporates ‘multiple everything’
– strategies, scenarios, and different risk types” (Masch, 2004: 435).
The natural approach was used primarily to manage the uncertainty and variability
associated with climate change impacts in northern regions. All climate has variability,
and projecting future climate always contains uncertainty. For example there is some
uncertainty in forecasting future global climate. Downscaling from global to regional
climate adds more uncertainty 3 . Using this regional climate to assess the biophysical and
socioeconomic implications of climate change introduces even more uncertainty.
Fortunately we have ways to address this uncertainty within the planning process. In the
case of the WhiteCAP plan, uncertainty was addressed using a combination of scenario
planning and risk management. Scenario planning allows for a range of likely outcomes
of future actions to be determined. While it is difficult to say what the climate will be
precisely, we have reasonable confidence that it will fall within the range of scenarios.
Risk management is a technique that allows us to make informed decisions in the face
of uncertainty.
2.1 Community Engagement
The community of Whitehorse was actively
engaged throughout the adaptation planning
process, from June 2009 to September 2010
(anticipated). Community engagement
occurred at several levels including
Whitehorse Local Advisory Committee
meetings, open houses, newsletters, technical
working sessions, presentations to project
partners 4 and workshops with broad
community input.
The Whitehorse Local Advisory Committee
was organized and led by the Whitehorse
Adaptation Coordinator and provided
extensive guidance on the development of the
adaptation plan at all stages of its
development. The advisory committee
included representatives of Ta’an Kwäch’än
Council, Kwanlin Dün First Nation
Government, Yukon Government, City of
Whitehorse and the Yukon Conservation
Society. The committee primarily ensured
Figure 2.1:
Whitehorse Adaptation
Planning Process
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