[Sust-mar] Atlantic Climate Change Conference 2009: Adapting Infrastructure to our Changing Climate

[Viridia]

*Atlantic Climate Change Conference 2009: Adapting Infrastructure to our
Changing Climate
Westin Nova Scotian | Halifax, Nova Scotia | March 10-11, 2009*

*Please pass this information to anyone who may be interested in climate
change and/or it's effects on infrastructure--planners, engineers, all
levels of government, utilities, consultants, contractors, academics,
community groups, etc.

PLEASE VISIT **http://www.esans.ca/events.html*<http://www.esans.ca/events.html>
* TO FIND THE AGENDA AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION (UPDATED REGULARLY).**
**
**Conference format and venue*
The one and a half day conference will take place at the Westin Nova Scotian
in Halifax on March 10 and 11, 2009. The conference will include keynote
speakers, plenary style sessions, panel discussions, and poster
presentations. There will be an additional Workshop opportunity on the
afternoon of March 11.

 $200 + HST for non-ESANS members
$150 + HST for ESANS members
$150 + HST for Wednesday's afternoon workshop: Climate Change -
Infrastructure (details below)

*Sponsorship*
Sponsorship of this conference offers valuable and quantifiable benefits.
Please see the event page at http://www.esans.ca/events.html for more
information.

*Conference Intent*
The winter of 2008/2009 is bringing:


   - changing economic conditions;
   - Federal and Provincial government budgets with more infrastructure
   investments;
   - the Atlantic Regional Climate Change Adaptation Collaborative (RAC);
   - the NS Energy Strategy and NS Climate Change Action Plan; and
   - other new public and private sector initiatives.

Climate change considerations will influence some of the next investments in
infrastructure -- traditional, residential, green energy, and otherwise.

This event considers these recent influences and discusses opportunities and
prospects for those involved in the provision of the related environmental
services. Such persons will be a mix of public and private sector, research,
decision-making, media, and community groups.

This year's Atlantic Climate Change Conference (ACCC) has key-note speakers,
presentations, papers, posters, and panel sessions that provide timely,
useful, and locally applicable insights.

*Themes*
Presentations and discussions will focus on aspects of incorporating climate
change considerations in decision-making for infrastructure in its various
forms. These include:


   - Managing Infrastructure in a Climate of Change
   - Regulating NS Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Discussion Paper
   - Data Requirements for Adaptation to Sea Level Rise, Storm Surges, and
   Erosion
   - For Planners - Engaging Municipalities in Climate Change Adaptation
   - Data Resources from Environment Canada: What We Know Now About Climate
   Change in Atlantic Canada
   - For Planners - Climate Change Decision-Making Tools
   - For Engineers - Example Climate Change Decision-Making Tool: Public
   Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC)
   - Potential Project Information: Natural, Social, and Economic Resources
   - Forestry
   - On the Frontlines: Strategies for healthy beaches in Nova Scotia
   - Geology, Climate Change Adaptation and Land-Use Planning are Part of an
   Intricate Web
   - Coastal Hazard Assessment Mapping in St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia
   - Agriculture and Climate Change: Resources and Opportunities
   - Smaller Carbon Footprints
   - Socio-Economic
   - Opportunities Associated with Provincial Policy - Panel Discussion
   - Municipalities & Climate Change: Laying the Foundation for more
   Sustainable Infrastructure
   - Planning, Emergency Response, and Climate Change
   - Opportunities for Natural Gas Storage
   - Opportunities for Carbon Capture and Storage
   - Carbon Credits

*Atlantic Municipal Roundtable: Road to Sustainability through Climate
Change Action. *
*Municipalities, agencies, businesses and others, large and small across
Atlantic Canada are laying out their roadmaps to healthy, vibrant,
sustainable communities. Several are well on the way to putting in place
their own Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) and related
initiatives. All of the disciplines involved with climate change mitigation
and adaptation will be required to make these plans realities. A skilled
green collar workforce to on the ground sustainable infrastructure, to all
of the planning and engineering in between will be engaged. All hands will
be needed on deck. Panelists from * *some **example communities and agencies
in Atlantic Canada will share their experiences and provide insight on some
of the challenges, issues, and needs to operationalize these plans. *

*Workshop: Incorporating Climate Change Adaptation into Infrastructure
Design, Development, and Management Decision Making*
*Based in part on the influential Practitioner's Guide of the same name. For
infrastructure owners, operators, managers, and evaluation team members.
This is a step by step "How to" workshop, with examples, discussions,
limitations, and pre-printed notes.*

-- 
Sairah M. Tyler, MSc
Viridia Consulting
Office: (902) 482-7272
Fax: (877) 466-4321
E-mail: info at viridiaconsulting.ca

---
It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most
intelligent, but the most
responsive to change.
- Charles Darwin (1835)