Thu, 30 Oct 2014
The Town of Oakville’s Climate Change Strategy and accompanying public outreach document, Oakville’s Climate Change Primer, are now available on the Climate Change Adaptation Initiative page.
The strategy and primer were endorsed by Town Council at its September 22, 2014, meeting in a proactive approach to protect against and respond to climate change impacts.
The recent extreme weather events we have experienced in Oakville and beyond have been a cogent reminder of the devastating impacts of climate change,” Mayor Rob Burton said. “This strategy is in place to help Council, town employees and residents look ahead and continue to adopt best practices to meet our changing environment.”
The Climate Change Strategy outlines how climate change will impact town operations and infrastructure. During the development of this strategy approximately 40 impacts were determined and prioritized based on varying levels of vulnerability and risk. Over 80 town plans, policies and procedures were reviewed and 300 action items were identified to be implemented and tracked.
Oakville’s Climate Change Primer provides useful information for residents on the science and complexity of climate change, as well as climate change projections for southern Ontario and more specifically Oakville. This online document links directly to local information on how to protect human health, the natural environment, residential homes and properties against the impacts of a changing climate. Town of Oakville and regional projects that are working to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change are also presented in the primer. These documents will be updated as new information, data and programs become available.
The town has been involved in ICLEI’s Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities (BARC) initiative to develop a comprehensive strategy on climate change since 2011.
Oakville’s Climate Change Primer is available on the Climate Change Adaptation Initiative page.