Community Guide to Climate Change

When understanding climate change, it is important to decipher climate and weather, as they are often falsely understood as equivalent.

• Weather: refers to the variation in short-term atmospheric conditions (temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, and cloud cover) that occur from minutes to weeks.
• Climate: on the other hand refers to weather patterns averaged over a period of time, typically 30 years or more.

The exact future climate depends on global greenhouse gas emissions. Projections of future changes provide a range of possibilities based on scenarios of low to high global emissions. 

What we do know: our temperature will continue to warm, precipitation and seasonal patterns will continue to change and changes to the duration, frequency and severity of extreme events. 

Aligned with observed global changes, South Huron's climate is also changing and will have a continued impact on local weather, environment, economy and the entire community. 

In general, South Huron’s future climate will include warming temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, a shift in seasonal changes and changes in the duration, frequency, and severity of extreme weather events.

Explore future climate projections for South Huron below:

Some notes about understanding future climate projections:

• Data for South Huron's future climate projections was retrieved from Climate Atlas
• Future Scenario: A high emissions scenario was used where greenhouse gas emissions globally increase at current rates to the end of the century.
• Projection Periods: Immediate future refers to the period of 2021 to 2050. Near future refers to the period of 2015 to 2080. 
• Baseline Period: The period of 1978 to 2005 was used as the baseline to quantify the anticipated future projections.  

Temperature Projections for South Huron

• The winter season will experience greatest temperature increase.  

Seasonal Changes Projections for South Huron

• Although the annual freeze-thaw cycles are projected to decrease, due to changes in winter temperatures, freeze-thaw cycles for January are projected to increase. 

Extreme Weather Events Projections for South Huron

• Increase in freezing rain, ice, and snow events, particularly in January and February
• Increase wind gusts for all of Southern Ontario
• Increase in heavy rainfall and drought extremes
• Increase in heatwave length (number of days)
• Increase in number of heatwave events per year 

Responding to climate change can be described using two approaches: adaptation and mitigation.

With funding received from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, we have developed the South Huron Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and this Community Guide to Understanding and Responding to Climate Change to help the community understand what climate change means for South Huron and how we can respond.

As outlined in the adaptation strategy, our vision is to create A future-ready South Huron that is resilient to the impacts of a changing climate.

Based on the impacts from climate change identified for South Huron, a series of eight (8) goals were developed along with adaptation action items to address each goal:

• Goal 1: Integrate climate change adaptation into municipal planning, asset management and operations;
• Goal 2: Support municipal and community resilience awareness and action;
• Goal 3: Ensure community readiness and a coordinated response to extreme weather events;
• Goal 4: Reduce risks to buildings, properties and people from flooding;
• Goal 5: Minimize disruption to municipal service delivery;
• Goal 6: Reduce health and safety risks to municipal workers and community members from extreme temperatures;
• Goal 7: Protect and enhance the natural landscape to mitigate impact; and
• Goal 8: Strengthen the resiliency of municipal infrastructure and facilities. 

Adaptation Actions (actions that respond to the unavoidable impacts from climate change)

• Learn about ways to protect your home from flooding by visiting the Home Flood Protection Program (Intact Centre for Climate Adaptation).
• Learn about on-site stormwater management options for your property that also can provide a range of environmental benefits, such as installing a Rain Barrel to store rainwater or Rain Garden to control and disperse it (Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority).
  • BONUS: Retain and enhance the natural features on your property – they will help to hold water during rainfall events while providing many other benefits.
• Ensure you have an emergency plan in place for your home or business in the event of extreme weather. Get Prepared (Government of Canada) has everything you need in order to make a plan.
• Planning a renovation or new building? Consider the type of materials used in your project and how they will stand up to a changing climate.
  • Design areas to consider: basement (flooding), insulation, heating, cooling (warming temperature), exterior materials and structural (extreme weather), and driveway material (rainfall events and warming temperature).

Mitigation Actions (actions that reduce the contributing sources of climate change)

• Calculate your Carbon Footprint (how much greenhouse gas emissions your lifestyle releases) by visiting Carbon Footprints to Forests
  • BONUS: You can make a donation for trees to be planted by your local Conservation Authority OR plant a tree on your property to offset your impact! 

Adaptation is an action that adjusts practices, processes or structures in response to the unavoidable impacts, either opportunities or threats, caused by climate change. The goal of effective adaptation is to anticipate the impacts ahead of time (proactive) rather than after the impacts have been experienced (reactive).

Climate change refers to a significant variation to long-term (typically decades or longer) change in climate (global or regional) which reflects changes in weather patterns, including an increase in temperature, fluctuating precipitation patterns and extreme weather events.

Global Warming refers to the long-term warming in temperature observed on a global scale. Global warming is one aspect of climate change. The primary source of global warming is in the increase of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere by human-made activities which burn fossil fuels including transportation, manufacturing and electricity. Natural sources of GHG emissions include volcanic activity, the Earth’s orbit, and the solar output.

The Greenhouse Effect refers to the buildup and long term presence of GHGs in the atmosphere, causing the atmosphere becomes thicker which traps the sun’s radiation (heat), making the Earth’s air temperature warmer.

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) refers to gases that have the property of trapping heat or longwave radiation in the atmosphere that was radiated from Earth, contributing to the greenhouse effect (see definition). The following gases are considered a greenhouse gas: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and fluorinated gases (synthetic gases).

Mitigation refers to measures implemented to reduce the contributing sources of climate change (ex. GHG emissions reduction) that contribute to the unavoidable impacts.

Resilience refers to the capability to respond and recover to change or disruption while maintaining an acceptable level of service or functionality.

Weather refers to the variation in short-term atmospheric conditions (temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity, cloud cover) that occur from minutes to weeks. 

• Climate Atlas of Canada provides citizens, researchers, businesses, and community and political leaders  the tools to learn about climate change in Canada.
  • Interactive mapping tool allows users to explore climate change from a provincial, regional and local scale using plain language and analysis to make climate science understandable and meaningful
  • Explore various topics to understand the many aspects of climate change and how to take action
• Learn more about what the Government of Canada Environment and Climate Change and the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks are doing to respond to climate change
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. 

•  Adaptation Resources (ICLEI Canada)

• Air Quality Health Index Observations for Ontario (Government of Ontario)
• Climate change, air quality and public health (Prairie Climate Centre)
• Rules on air quality and pollution (Government of Ontario)

• Climate Change and Agriculture (Prairie Climate Centre)
• Forests and Climate Change (Prairie Climate Centre)

• Climate Atlas of Canada (Prairie Climate Centre)
• Government of Canada Environment and Climate Change 
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 
• Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks 
• Ontario Climate Consortium (OCC)

• Coastal Action Plan for the Southwestern Shoreline of Lake Huron (Community Guide ) (Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation 

• Energy Performance (Partners in Project Green) 
• Green Infrastructure Programs (Natural Resources Canada)
• GMF Municipal Energy Roadmap (Green Municipal Fund, Federation of Canadian Municipalities) 
• The True Cost of Energy (Clean Air Partnership)

• Building the Corporate Business Case for Electric Vehicles (Clean Air Partnership)
• Creating an Effective Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Policy (Clean Air Partnership) 
• Green Infrastructure Programs (Natural Resources Canada)
• Tips for Driving Better and Driving Less (Smart Drive Metro Vancouver)

• Quick Self-Help Resources
  • Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Flood Protection Infographic
  • Home Flood Protection Check-Up- Flood risk self-assessment online tool
  • Sources of Water Damage and Opportunities to Reduce Risk Infographic
  • Basement Flood Protection Checklist
  • Home Flood Protection Checklist for Landlords and Tenants

• Short Intact Centre How-To Videos
  • How to Extend Your Downspouts
  • How to Maintain a Sump Pump
  • How to Maintain a Backwater Valve
  • How Flood Alarms Work

• Learn More about Flood Insurance
  • Understanding Water Damage Insurance Coverages Infographic
  • Flood Insurance Discounts to Discuss With Your Insurance Provider
  • Questions to Ask Your Insurance Provider about Water Damage Coverages
  • Understanding Tenant Insurance- Insurance Bureau of Canada Web Page
• Learn More about AET Group
  • Home Flood Protection - AET
  • Register for a Home Flood Protection Assessment
  • Flooding in Canada: Why Is It Happening, and What Are We Doing About It?
  • Larry Freiburger, Director of Operations (email: lfreiburger@aet98.com)
• Learn More about the Intact Centre
  • Intact Centre Home Page
  • Home Flood Protection Program Page
  • Water on the Rise: Protecting Canadian Homes from the Growing Threat of Flooding: Executive Summary
  • Cheryl Evans, Director of Flood and Wildfire Resilience (email: c8evans@uwaterloo.ca)

• Flood Ready (Government of Canada)
• My Climate Resilient Home
• Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation 
  • Home Flood Protection Program
  • Infrastructure Adaptation Program
  • Corporate-specific Adaptation Program
• Stormwater Management in Ontario - Support for Green Infrastructure (Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition)
• Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Programs (STEP)

• Mitigation Resources (ICLEI Canada)

• Climate Change (Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority)
• Green Infrastructure Ontario Coalition
• Natural Capital and Why it Matters (Clean Air Partnership) 

• Climate change and health (Prairie Climate Centre)
• Climate change and health (Public Health Agency of Canada) 
• Environment and Health (Huron Perth Public Health)

• Climate Kids (Government of Canada)
• Eco-Exeter (South Huron District High School) 
• The Green Classroom (Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority)
• NASA Climate Kids (NASA)
• Youth for Climate Action (UNICEF)

• Water Stewardship (Partners in Project Green)

• Recycling Hub (Bluewater Recycling Association)
• TerraCycle
• Waste Management (Government of Ontario)
• Waste Management (Partners in Project Green)