Preparing for climate change

Posted: July 5, 2012 1:00 p.m.

Norm Henderson, Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative director. Photo: U of R Photography

A farmer looks out over flooded cropland and wonders whether to prepare for more flooding in the future.

Thankfully, there’s now a place producers and others can go to assess the impacts of a changing climate – from risks to potential benefits. Scientists at the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC) have created a website – SaskAdapt.ca – to make information on climate change available to individuals, business, communities and others who need or want to know more about climate change.

PARC director Norm Henderson says SaskAdapt.ca was created in response to growing interest in climate change from people who didn't have the background to deal with detailed scientific information.

“There’s a lot of confusion about what's going on in climate change in the world and what it means for our province,” Henderson says. “The information has never been brought together on one site. I think it fills an important information gap.”

SaskAdapt.ca provides credible, science-based information in an accessible format and applies it to Saskatchewan. It has the latest information on how the prairie climate is changing and will change in the future, what this means for Saskatchewan and what must be considered when making adaptations.

Using the website, a farmer worried about future flooding would learn that the prairie climate is getting drier and drought is more likely; at the same time, the climate is expected to be more variable, with more frequent and more intense events such as heavy rains leading to flooding. A self-assessment tool will help individuals and institutions evaluate decisions about adapting to climate change.

SaskAdapt.ca was created with financial support from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment Go Green Fund.