Traditional Land of Wabanaki People/Fredericton— The Conservation Council of New Brunswick welcomes today’s release of the National Adaptation Strategy and notes that our capacity to prepare for, respond to, and recover from impacts and disruptions due to climate change only happen when we urgently implement federal and provincial plans.
“Post-tropical storm Fiona shows us that no one is safe from climate extremes,” says Louise Comeau, Director of Climate Solutions at the Conservation Council. “We can reduce risk to health and well-being only if we implement climate change preparedness plans and achieve the adaptation and emissions reductions targets and timelines promised.”
The federal government today committed $1.6 billion to help municipalities reduce risk, increase resources to the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund for structural and natural infrastructure investments, and to develop tools and data services.
The national strategy includes 21 targets and timelines aimed at systems change to increase disaster resilience, protect health and well-being, protect nature and biodiversity, invest in infrastructure, prepare the economy and workers, and increase knowledge and understanding.
The Conservation Council urges the province to use the opportunity provided through federal programs, and its recently-approved carbon pricing plan, to accelerate the promises it made to risk reduction and preparedness in its recent climate action plan.
Commitments made in that plan include initiatives to improve New Brunswickers’ understanding and awareness of climate change risks, adaptation planning and implementation, including a comprehensive provincial climate change risk assessment by 2025 to identify risks, set priority areas for adaptation action and inform decision-making across New Brunswick, and actions to protect biodiversity and advance nature-based climate solutions.
The 15th meeting of the Biodiversity Convention starts Dec. 7 in Montreal. The national adaptation strategy includes commitments to protect 25 per cent of our lands and waters by 2025 and 30 per cent of each by 2030. Targets also include identifying at least three ecological corridors by 2026, to improve ecological connectivity, establishing 15 new national urban parks by 2030, and by 2026, establishing Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.
“New Brunswick needs to commit to the same nature and biodiversity targets as the federal government—25 per cent by 2025; 30 per cent by 2030,” says Comeau. This means expanding on its commitment to set a new target for protected areas by 2024 that goes well beyond the existing commitment to protecting 10 per cent of the province’s land and freshwater.”
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For more information, contact:
Jon MacNeill, Communications Director | jon.macneill@conservationcouncil.ca | 506.238.3539