Identify Priorities in Your Community: Investigate Potential Impacts
Elkford residents review research and potential impacts at a public workshop. October 2008.
What to delve into first?
Arriving at priority areas in your community happens at various stages during the adaptation process. It is expected that a community will have some possible impact areas in mind before they even begin the process. Identifying what is important to your community can be the first step in identifying possible impact areas.
To arrive at priority areas, Kimberley and Elkford used a mix of techniques including:
- Community surveys - tick the priority areas (mail drop)
- Dot surveys - put a sticky dot on the areas of highest priority
- Discussions with key staff and locals
- Kitchen table discussions - 6 people from a neighborhood talking together
- Advice from the CBT advisory committee and learning network (through telecons, study tours, email)
See Useful Material to download examples from Kimberley and Elkford
Using Impact Mapping and Scenarios to Help Identify Priorities
Both communities used Impact Pathway Mapping as a technique to help build people's capacity to understand the possible impacts that temperature and precipitation change may bring, and what possible actions to take. Impact parthways are designed as a web of connected impacts, opportunities and consequences that stem from the possible effects of climate change.These visual pathways draw connections between the chain of impacts that may result from changes in temperature and precipitation to how it may impact the environment and the citizens. These figures build understanding about:
- How climate change impacts our communities and ecosystems
- Connections between communities, ecosystems and climactic connections
- The connections between different planning priorities, such as the connection between the mountain pine beetle and wildfires
These diagrams can be made in advance through research (i.e. Elkford's example) or created jointly with community members (i.e. Kimberley's example).
The process of Impact Mapping allows attendees to move in a methodical fashion from high order impacts to lower order impacts. It is important to realize that the results of prioritization may get skewed because of overweighting by any one sector. Public input may not deliver the key vulnerabiltities, so it's key to have municipal staff present at these meetings.
Scenario planning is a method used to explore alternative futures by examining the nature and possible range of impacts of important driving forces affecting our world. It is often a group process that encourages knowledge exchange and understanding of key issues important to the future of a defined entity (a local community in this instance). It works on the basis of crafting a number of plausible scenarios (or stories) that “book-end” a range of futures by extrapolating uncertain yet influencing trends and driving forces.
Start by asking how changes in temperature and precipitation will impact different parts of your community, such as forests, fires, flooding, recreation, transportation, health, business, emergency response, etc.
Kimberley recommends the following site as a good resource for understanding, building, and using scenarios as planning inputs: http://www.shell.com/home/content/aboutshell/our_strategy/shell_global_scenarios/dir_global_scenarios_07112006.html.
Kimberley had the added experitse of CALP that provided the community with visualizations for a changing climate. See Kimberley's case study for more information.
Gathering Input from the Community
The communities of Elkford and Kimberley used community workshops and surveys to gather imput from community members, local stakeholders and their governments in order to identify priority impact areas.
Elkford brought scientific data and research to the community table and had already identified six priority areas before they consulted with the community. They had community workshops and used community surveys and dot surveys to consult with the community.
Kimberley worked from a grass-roots level, engaging the community at every step to identify priority areas. In total Kimberley's community engagement component was comprised of six workshops - three public, one by invitation and two at the local high school; a community survey circulated via direct mail; and a set of submissions to the local newspaper around key events and milestones in the project.
Community surveys and presentations have been uploaded to the Useful Materials page of Identify Priorities.
This map illustrates climate impacts related to tourism as generated by Kimberley residents at a public workshop. October 2008.
Community Workshop Examples from Elkford
General information on climate change, the PCIC climatic impact data, information on further impacts based on temperature and precipitation changes, and the six planning area impact pathways were presented at a community open house. Stewart Cohen, a CBT Advisory Committee member, gave a presentation on climate change impacts and the need for adaptation in long-term community planning. The survey results were also presented at an open house where the Elkford consultants gathered more detailed information from Elkford residents on climate change adaptation. Almost 50 people attended, perhaps enticed by the meal of barbecue ribs.
This meeting had three presentations on the OCP and climate change impacts and adaptation:
- Presentation on the process
- Presentation on regional scenarios and impacts
- Presentation on climate change impacts and the need for adaptation within long-term community planning (See Useful Materials for copies of these presentations)
Several stations were set up to introduce topics and results to date on the OCP and the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy.
Participants had an opportunity to visit stations around the room focusing on the following areas:
- Elkford Impact Pathways Diagram (ppt slides)
- Climtae Change 101 display board
- Climate Change 101 display boards with Greenhouse Gas Figures
- Elkford Open House Mitigation and Adatptation Input display
- Potential Adaptation priorities for Elkford
- Scientist Predictions for Elkford
- Extreme weather events in the Elk Valley to consider and imagine
- Your Observations
See Elkford's surveys and presentations.
Community Workshop Examples in Kimberley
The community of Kimberley had three workhops to help identify key pritority areas:
1. Invite-only workshop for local stakeholders and goverment
2. Public Community Workshop: Climate Change 101
3. Public Community Workshop: Planning for Climate Change
Local Stakeholder Workshop: Identifying Key Priorites
The invites were targeted at individuals who were identified by the Steering Commitee as having an interest in local climate impacts and adaptation planning because of the "hats" they wear, either professionally or as a volunteer. Sectors represented included: local developers service clubs, outdoor guides and instructors, education, provincial government agencies, youth, sports, Teck, eco-tourism, agriculture, local business, environmental/conservation organization, plus a variety of City staff.
To bring the group up to speed on climate adaptation planning, three of CBT's expert Advisory Committee members were involved in delivering presentations on climate science (Mel Reasoner), impacts and adaptation (Stewart Cohen), and the nature of an adaptation planning process (Lara Whitley-Binder).
Objectives:
- Participants gain an understanding of climate change adaptation
- Participants understand the project, why it’s important and how it applies to Kimberley
- Participants are able to identify impact pathways and brainstorm on community information needs and future steps
- Participants identify priority impact areas in the community for research, analysis, exploration
- Create stakeholder support, interest and enthusiasm for the project
One of the significant outcomes of the workshops was an initial, prioritized list of issues of importance for Kimberley, generated by local stakeholders.
Community Workshop: Climate Change 101
The workshop delivered introductory level information on climate change and climate science to local residents. It followed a simple format of two presentations: 1) a shortened version of Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth slide show that provided a “big picture” look at climate change, presented by Gore-trained presenter Ingrid Liepa; and 2) a more in-depth look at climate science and projected local impacts from CBT Advisory Committee expert Mel Reasoner.
This workshop resulted in the community identifying 12 priority areas.
Community Workshop: Planning for Climate Change
The second workshop of the series centred on planning for climate change, engaging local residents into mapping local impact pathways for priority issues after hearing presentations from CBT Advisory Committee experts; Stewart Cohen presented on climate impacts and adaptation planning, and Trevor Murdock shared the highlights of PCIC’s analysis with the community. A facilitated small-group format was used to involve participants in generating impact pathways for the priority issues.
This workshop resulted in Kimberley narrowing down their initial list of 12 priority impact areas to four.
See Kimberley's surveys and presentations.
Confirm Priority Issues for Future Investigation
Workshops and survey results will be utilized during the process of deciding priority issues on which to work. Other places to get information on priorities include talking with staff and elected officals, consulting with local expertise and subject experts, and identifying priorities from other planning documents such as the OCP.
The local steering committee and local coordinator/consultant will compile all the information and make a decision based on the compilation of inputs.
It is important for your community to confirm priority areas before you continue with the process. This will make it easier to move ahead with the vulnerability and risk assessments, and eventually the adaptation actions.