IMPLEMENTATION

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
Scientists project that Vancouver
will experience increased annual
precipitation and temperatures, with
hotter, drier summers, due to climate
change. More intense and frequent
rain and wind storms are expected,
and sea level rise will pose a significant
challenge by mid-century.
Climate adaptation is the City’s
response to these and other impacts of
climate change, while taking advantage
of opportunities and reducing
associated risks. The first step was to
see what we might encounter in the
future, so we know what to prepare for.
In 2013, Vancouver began a Coastal
Flood Risk Assessment, the first of its
kind in Canada to be done at a city
level. This work wrapped up in 2015
by identifying and prioritizing ways
for us as a community to adapt to and
recover quickly from flooding events:
a major risk given our seaside location.
Meanwhile, in 2014 the Urban Forest
Strategy Framework established a goal
to regrow our urban tree canopy (see
the Access to Nature section), and the
Integrated Rainwater Management
Plan, passed in early 2016 will help build
community resilience to heavy rainfall
(see the Clean Water section).
For more information on Vancouver’s
adaptation plan, go to
vancouver.ca/climateadaptation
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