The NCCN newsletter focuses on climate change stories that foster greater awareness of community level climate change impacts and adaptation, and which have relevance to north-central British Columbia. Contributions from readers for future issues are welcome. Send us your ideas.

The Bear Mountain Wind Park near Dawson Creek has begun producing electric power for the BC grid, ahead of schedule and creating BC history for wind power development. On August 6^th the first turbine of 34 on the site began producing power. The project was initiated in 2002 following the creation of the Peace Energy Co-operative (PEC) in Dawson Creek, and in 2004 PEC secured the necessary crown land lease for the wind park. PEC worked with partners AltaGas of Calgary (the owners and operators of the wind park) and Aeolis Wind Power Corp. of Victoria to develop the wind park site, which is nearing completion. It will be British Columbia’s first fully operational wind park, and will produce 102-megawatts (MW) of power. More information about the project is available on the AltaGas website. See also the AltaGas news release and the Peace Energy Co-operative news release.

The Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning (CALP) at UBC has released its final report, titled A Preliminary Assessment of Renewable Energy Capacity in Prince George, BC, highlighting their research investigating low-carbon energy sources in Prince George. The report outlines coarse and fine-filter processes for assessing energy systems in general, reviews local biomass and solar thermal options for Prince George in considerable detail, and finishes by addressing ways of overcoming social and perceptual barriers in pursuing low-carbon energy planning. CALP is continuing its energy planning and modeling work in Prince George, and will incorporate some aspects of the Smart Growth concept plan being developed for the City. Report. (5.5 MB)

The David Suzuki Foundation in BC and the Pembina Institute in Alberta have jointly prepared a guide on purchasing carbon offsets to help Canadian consumers, businesses and organizations assess the quality of carbon offsets and the vendors that sell them. A web page on the Foundation’s website provides answers to basic questions about purchasing carbon offsets. The Guide includes a survey of 20 carbon offset vendors from Canada and around the world to help assess how these vendors are performing. The methodologies employed in the survey and the results of the evaluation have been questioned by some organizations, yet the guide may be useful nonetheless to stimulate critical thinking around the purchase of carbon offsets. Download the full climate offset guide or the vendor results table.

On July 30^th the BC Government released the British Columbia Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report 2007 detailing the 2007 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions level – 67.3 megatonnes – for B.C. The year 2007 was established under the provincial Greenhouse Gas Reductions Target Act as the base year for calculation of GHG emissions targets. The Act puts into law British Columbia’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 33 per cent below 2007 levels by 2020, and includes the long-term target of an 80 per cent reduction below 2007 levels by 2050.  Download either the full report or the report summary.                                                   

The T’Sou-ke First Nation at Sooke, BC, has become the largest solar energy producing community in BC, and one of the most solar intensive in the country. At a special gathering in mid-July, the T’Sou-ke Nation unveiled its solar power project. Solar energy will power the band office, fisheries building, canoe shed and 25 homes on the reserve. Nine of the band members have been certified as solar panel installers. In addition, about 37 homes on the reserve get hot water from solar panels on their roofs, and almost all the remaining residents are on the waiting list. The band intends to equip all 86 homes on the reserve with solar panels. The T’Sou-ke will also provide 50 hot water tanks to another nearby village. Chief Gordon Planes said that the project is intended to become a blueprint to help other communities to reduce their carbon footprint.

T’Sou-ke Nation:  Solar forum & gathering

Victoria Times Colonist story:  Solar power reserve

CBC story:  Solar power project

In a partnership with BC Hydro and the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, the City of Dawson Creek has been testing one of 4 modified Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles, as part of a program designed to expand the range of clean energy vehicle technologies available to consumers. The vehicle in Dawson Creek (photo) was initially run as a standard hybrid car, and gas mileage and fuel consumption were tracked over two years. In April 2009, the Prius was modified with a larger battery for the electric motor, converting it to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. According to Emanuel Machado, the City’s Director of Corporate Planning and Sustainable Community Development, when the battery is fully charged, the vehicle now travels 90 kilometres on battery power alone – ample for a day’s city driving. Before installing the larger battery, the Prius was averaging from 5.5 to 7 L/100km; with the larger battery, the Prius is now averaging from 2 to 5 L/100km. The City is currently installing an 18-watt wind turbine power generator at the fire hall, which will be used to provide a sustainable source of power for these vehicles. Mr. Machado believes that the investment in leadership and innovation that Dawson Creek has made seems to be paying off. News release.

The Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN) and Natural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service have released a new report entitled Climate Change and Canada’s Forests: From Impacts to Adaptation. This new report is based on the prior work of the forestry authors of the recently released Canadian national assessment (From Impacts to Adaptation: Canada in a Changing Climate 2007 –  2007 report). It summarizes the present state of knowledge of current and future impacts of climate change and its implications for forest management. According to the SFMN, the report “draws on a combination of scientific and technical expertise to provide an in-depth assessment of current and future biophysical impacts, regional vulnerabilities, forest sector impacts and implications for adaptation.”. Report. (4 MB)

The Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change, hosted by the Inuit Circumpolar Council  from April 20-24, 2009 in Anchorage, Alaska, brought together participants from numerous countries around the world to discuss impacts and adaptations to climate change affecting indigenous people. As noted on the event website, “The purpose of the summit was to enable Indigenous peoples from all regions of the globe to exchange their knowledge and experience in adapting to the impacts of climate change, and to develop key messages and recommendations to be articulated to the world at the Conference of Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.” Links to some of the speeches and articles pertaining to the Summit are available, and the full report from the Summit will soon be downloadable from the site.

The World Bank’s Environment Department – Biodiversity Section released a report in June entitled Convenient Solutions to an Inconvenient Truth: Ecosystem‐based Approaches to Climate Change, which outlines the importance of including ecosystem-based approaches to mitigation and adaptation as an essential third pillar in national strategies to address climate change. More information about World Bank programs and links related to climate change are also available.

A research project on wolverine ecology has shown that wolverines are one of the most sensitive mammals to global warming in North America, perhaps second only to the polar bear. The study, conducted by wildlife biologist Keith Aubry at the Pacific Northwest Research Station in Olympia, Washington and other colleagues, shows that wolverines are largely tied geographically to areas with spring snow cover. As this type of habitat shrinks, the impact on wolverines may be severe. “If current warming trends continue, the spring snow cover layer will shift upwards in elevation and shrink in geographic extent, increasing the fragmentation and isolation of wolverine habitat”, Aubry submits. “We believe our research provides an empirical basis for identifying the most likely areas of wolverine persistence [in the contiguous United States] in the face of global climate change, and the most significant habitat corridors for maintaining connectivity among their populations”. Research findings.

To help protect Canadians from the health risks associated with extreme heat events, Health Canada’s Climate Change and Health Office (CCHO) is leading the Heat Initiative, “Developing Heat Resilient Communities and Individuals in Canada”. Among the projects related to this initiative, the CCHO is 1) assessing the vulnerability of Canadians and their communities to the health impacts of extreme Heat; 2) piloting Heat Alert and Response Systems in Canada; 3) producing a Best Practices Guidebook for developing and implementing heat alert and response systems; 4) deploying environmental heat monitoring systems in Canadian communities; 5) developing clinical guidelines for health care workers regarding extreme heat events; and 6) examining heat-health messaging to protect vulnerable populations. Details.