Quicklinks:

 Adaptation Final Report 2009

Climate Change Adaptation Final Summary 2009

• Link to CBT’s Communities Adapting to Climate Change Initiative (http://www.cbt.org/Initiatives/Climate_Change/?Adapting_to_Climate_Change)

Project Overview

The City of Kimberley was selected by the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) in April 2008 as one of two pilot communities for its Communities Adapting to Climate Change initiative.   CBT’s initiative helps Basin communities increase their resiliency to climate change by addressing anticipated changes to climate at the local level and identifying the range of potential impacts, assessing local vulnerabilities and sensitivities, and developing adaptation strategies.

Kimberley’s project was based on the three pillars of Learn, Share and Plan, which also defined the three stages of its process:

Learn – Gathering available scientific data on projected climate impacts to Kimberley and connecting this with local observations and concerns.

Share – Bringing the results of the data collection to the community, and providing opportunities to learn how the predicted impacts could affect Kimberley.  

Plan –Synthesizing all the input that was received in the learning and sharing stages, and creating an action plan setting out both short-term and long-term adaptation measures.   

A historical climate analysis and future climate projections were prepared by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC) to inform local understanding of how Kimberley’s climate has been changing and how it may continue to change in the future.  In short, temperatures in this area have warmed about 1 degree Celsius over the last century, and are forecast by PCIC to warm by an additional 2 to 3 degrees by the 2050s. 

Overall precipitation in the area has seen a slight increase over the last hundred years, with a clear trend to less precipitation in the form of snow.  In the future, precipitation is expected to see a slight increase in winter and slight decrease in summer.  Stream flows have also been changing, with peak spring flows shifting into April/May from May/June since the 1950s.  Future projections for stream flows predict earlier spring freshets with lower peak volumes and a more sustained duration, and lower stream flows in late summer and early fall.

On the basis of current climate science, local observations and input received from five workshops and a community survey, three priority climate impact issue areas were identified for Kimberley:

1.      Water and Forests (Natural Environment)

2.      Municipal Infrastructure (Built Environment)

3.      Tourism (Socio-Economic Environment)

Small working groups comprised of City staff and council representatives, local Steering Committee members and other interested local stakeholders were formed to further address the priority issues.  Each of the working groups undertook a vulnerability assessment where they identified key vulnerabilities associated with their priority issue and developed recommendations for adaptive actions. 

Summary of Kimberley’s Vulnerabilities by Priority Issue Area

Natural Environment: Water and Forests	Built Environment: Municipal Infrastructure	Socio-Economic Environment: Tourism
Municipal Water Supply	Urban Trees	Ski Tourism
Quality of Aquatic Environment	Drinking Water System	Golf Tourism
Risk of Flooding	Risk of Flooding	Trail-Based Tourism
Forest Health, Mountain Pine Beetle and Wildfire Risk	Flooding associated with Storm Water System	Water-Based Tourism
Wildfire Risk to the Built Environment	Wildfire and Protection of Municipal Infrastructure	Festival and Events Tourism
	Risk of Slope Failure	Other Local Attractions
	Future Proofing and Other Considerations