The CVRD is developing a Regional Climate Action Strategy to increase our collective resilience to the changing climate. Climate change is one of the most critical issues being addressed by governments around the world, including here in the Comox Valley. Climate change requires both mitigation and adaptation to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to changes that are already taking place. We want hear from you. What climate impacts you are most concerned about, how climate change is affecting you / your business, and what you are doing to prepare for the future. Your feedback will be used to provide valuable background context in the Climate Action Strategy, and help guide the prioritization of regional climate actions.
The development of the Regional Climate Action Strategy will include engagement with the Comox Valley’s elected officials, K'ómoks First Nation, local government staff, and community groups. As part of this engagement effort, the public was invited to participate in a brief survey to help us understand the local impacts of climate change. A regional approach to this is important has the impacts of climate change do not stop at political boundaries. The Strategy will not be prescriptive but provide overall policy guidance and will complement any climate action work that is done at the municipal level.
Background
The CVRD Board declared a climate emergency in 2019 in response to these impacts, emphasizing the need for greater focus on reducing its GHG emissions and building capacity to plan, prepare, and respond to climate change. In response to this declaration and in order to better understand where our GHG emissions are coming from, the CVRD prepared a Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory which was received by the Board in 2023.
The GHG Emissions Inventory provides a comprehensive understanding of community emission sources for climate change mitigation reporting and planning, and staff were directed to use the data from this inventory to inform a Climate Action Strategy. Collectively, we need to work on both climate mitigation and adaptation in order to curb the emissions identified in the inventory.
Climate mitigation is about undertaking actions that reduce the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions the Comox Valley.
Climate adaptation is about undertaking actions that support changes to our built environment, technologies, and lifestyles to ensure we can thrive in a changing climate.
The goals of the Regional Climate Action Strategy are to:
- Formalize a CVRD climate action vision and goals.
- Identify pathways to reduce regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Identify regional climate action strategies and actions for the CVRD to pursue, assist, or advocate.
- Provide high-level policy guidance for the CVRD and its member municipalities on climate adaptation and mitigation actions.
The CVRD is projected to experience an increase in extreme hot days, heatwaves, extreme rainfall, and high winds. While the spring and fall seasons are expected to lengthen, there will be more variability in temperatures. Possible climate risks to the Comox Valley include the following:
- Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem stress
- Health impacts from severe heat and wildfire smoke
- Wildfire damage
- Inundation of buildings and infrastructure from sea-level rise and overland flooding
- Compromised food production
- Wildland-urban interface fire risk
- Reduced water availability and quality
- Increase in invasive species and vector borne diseases
- Negative impacts to quality of life
- Negative impacts to economic development and redeployment of limited resources