This course will provide participants with the concepts and tools they need to integrate climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and risks into environmental impact assessments (EIA).

The course will be divided in four sections. The first one will focus on demystifying the language, elements, and concepts used in climate science. Various tools available to analyze the impacts, risks, and vulnerabilities of climate change will also be described, along with specific examples on how they have been used in EIA in Canada and internationally. Current Canadian environmental assessment regulations framing the integration of climate change will be reviewed in the second part of the course, and they will be put into perspective with international regulations. The third section will focus on how climate change should be integrated into EIA. The last section will be dedicated to a workshop with real case studies so that participants have the opportunity to apply the concepts and knowledge acquired. The course will be highly interactive, and participants will be asked to share their experiences and vision of how climate change should be taken into account in environmental assessment processes.

Participants will leave the course with a basic knowledge of climate change science and concepts, as well as an understanding of the major worldwide climate change trends for the next century. They will also acquire a broad picture of climate change tools (scenarios, maps, data, methodologies, guidelines, etc.) currently available to environmental assessment practitioners and how they may be used in SEA and EIA. They will gain a better understanding of SEA and EIA as effective tools to adapt and enhance resilience to climate change.

Level:	Foundation for climate change; intermediate to advanced for EIA
Prerequisites:	Participants should have a background in IA and be practitioners in the field
Language:	English
Duration:	1 day (2 April)
Price:	US$275
Min/Max:	10-30
Instructor(s):	Isabelle Charron, Climate Scenarios & Services Specialist, Ouranos Inc. (Canada) Caroline Larrivée, Team Leader, Vulnerabilities/Impacts/Adaptation Group, Ouranos Inc. (Canada)

 

Isabelle Charron holds a Doctorate in forest ecology from the University of Calgary. She taught natural resource management at Concordia University for many years. At Ouranos since 2010, Mrs. Charron focuses on facilitating the transfer and understanding of climate scenarios to various players in vulnerabilities, impacts, and adaptation within the Climate Scenarios and Services Group. In addition, since 2014, Mrs. Charron, is also responsible for developing, organizing, and delivering training courses on climate change, adaptation, impacts, and vulnerabilities to different audiences from university students to managers and decisions makers.

Caroline Larrivée holds a Bachelor's in urban planning from Université de Montréal. As an urban planner in the private sector, academic institutions, and at the Kativik Regional Government, she collaborated on research into the impacts of climate change on northern communities. At Ouranos since October 2006, first as a specialist in the Vulnerabilities, Impacts, and Adaptation Group and as coordinator of northern environment and urban areas programs, Mrs. Larrivée currently leads the Vulnerabilities, Impacts, and Adaptation Group.