Research projets and publications

This state of knowledge offers a useful reference for political decision-makers, managers, community groups and local organizations seeking support for the planning of development, protection, conservation and resource management priorities

Better adaptation requires understanding. A good understanding requires observation. AVATIVUT educational activities encourage young people to observe their environment and help them understand the impact of climate change.

This project helped to engage and empower community members in a participatory process on climate change adaptation It also helped to recognize the importance of interactions between different knowledge systems focussing on solutions, and highlights the need to adopt a multidisciplinary and holistic approach

This new reference tool brings together and summarizes scientific advances on probable changes in hydroclimatic hazards and can be used for safer coastal planning and development and anticipation of potential risks.

The results of preliminary simulations and theory support the idea that forest management could accelerate the response of forest stands to climate change. Opening the forest canopy accelerates succession by modifying competition interactions within the stand.

Accounting and evaluating diverse interests can be formally integrated in decision aid processes such as MCDA and can be used to help structure and make more informed decisions, especially in the context of limited resources.

Québec’s municipal managers, professionals and planners have a new tool oriented to their needs at their disposal for assessing and mapping population vulnerability to heat waves and hydrometeorological hazards.

Among many economic activities, the production of Maple syrup is one of the most directly related to the climate and particularly to the spring climate. 

The preliminary results of the CBA have supported the adoption of wetlands and water bodies conservation objectives in the COBARIC water master plan update and the development of the Chaudière-Appalaches regional wetlands and water bodies plan (PRMHH).

The methods developed can be applied in other major cities in Québec to support climate change adaptation and health-focused land use planning.

Update of useful resources for characterizing and analyzing communities from the point of view of vulnerabilities to the psychosocial impacts of extreme weather events.

The project raised awareness among water managers about the problem of ice jam flood risk. This initial analysis helped better define the issues and guide the search for relevant adaptation measures.

This project led to a better understanding of different target audiences and their interest in content relating to the fight against climate change.

The project identified concrete legal mechanisms for dealing with exceptional hydrological variations as well as their benefits and limitations in the context of climate change.

The examples and lessons learned from the case studies will help local, provincial/state and federal policy makers in designing effective policy instruments and processes, and in improving existing ones, in such a way that they enable effective adaptation to climate change.

These documented case studies will help to disseminate and transfer information, engage decision makers and better recognize barriers to adaptation within the energy sector in order to overcome them.

This first Canadian portrait of the interactions between GHG mitigation and adaptation to climate change in the field of energy allows to educate policymakers and companies from the electricity sector about the complex interactions between mitigation efforts and adaptation to climate change

This study is particularly useful for energy policymakers concerned with energy production and distribution, including demand management, the upscaling of equipment, and energy efficiency programs allowing to reduce heat gain in buildings in order to mitigate the increase in air conditioning requirements.

The approaches developed will help guide strategy decisions made by industry partners (Hydro-Québec, Manitoba Hydro) and communities in sub-Arctic regions regarding wildfire risk management.

This project will help Canadian electricity providers such as Hydro-Québec, Manitoba Hydro and Ontario Power Generation to improve the long-term planning and reliability of wind power generation.

This approach will allow Canadian hydropower producers to better assess their exposure to persistent droughts while benefiting from a better understanding of the long-term hydrological variability in the production territory.

This project will provide hydropower producers with the robust scientific analyses to guide decision making in regards to climate change adaptations. The results will help determine whether the significance of recently observed floods is part of natural variability or if it is attributable to climate change, in which case, it may be relevant to adjust design criteria and management strategies accordingly.

Any stakeholder interested in hydroelectric asset valuation in the context of climate change now has access to a guide, validated by experts in the field, to help in carrying out rigorous assessments. The methods proposed in the Guidebook and the documented case studies will contribute to improving the consideration of climate change impacts in the valuation of hydroelectric assets.

This project provides a blueprint for Canadian dam managers to include climate change information into flood design values, and proposes solutions to address major sources of uncertainties. It offers a decision-making framework to assess and select adaptation options, mindful of dam managers’ operational context.

The mapping tool and model developed will better equip MFFP fisheries managers to evaluate salmonid habitats quality in Québec’s northern lakes and thereby prioritize actions to adapt their resource management measures according to the response of the fish habitats to climate change, based notably on changes in temperature and dissolved oxygen in the lakes.

The project results will help maintain the ecological integrity of the natural heritage of Northern Quebec by backing decisions and actions regarding land development and conservation in Nunavik with solid science that takes into account the effects of current and long-term climate change.

Street repairs are now done in a more integrated manner within the Québec City municipal administration. The greening experiments in Saint-Roch continue to mobilize residents and have led to the adoption of a broader approach, including a community garden, workshops, etc.

The literature analysis helps to explain a certain propensity to focus on technological solutions such as the electrification of individual transportation and residential solar energy conversion to mitigate the impacts of urban sprawl.

This project will improve the dissemination of available climate change adaptation resources for the municipal sector. It will also help guide efforts for the development of resources relating to issues that are less well addressed by existing resources.

Adaptation organizations now have an up-to-date portrait of the links between them, ready to be used to further their understanding of each other’s activities, to clarify their position for strategic planning purposes, and to identify allies and competitors as part of their regular activities.

AQUARISC provides the research community; climate change stakeholders working in the fields of land use planning, natural disaster management and insurance; and municipal, provincial and federal authorities with access to a comprehensive data collection on flood and low-flow events that took place in the watersheds of a pilot area.

The approach adopted, namely the co-construction of an adaptation strategy at the regional level and the uptake of vulnerability analysis tools by stakeholders, will foster the development of adaptation to climate change and the resilience of the communities concerned.

The SQI will adopt an action plan to correct the vulnerabilities identified by the project and to adapt its building stock. This plan will contain specific projects as well as changes to asset maintenance and preventive maintenance programs.

The cities will benefit from an improved process for the design and implementation of future GSI. The results of this project will enhance knowledge about the feasibility of installing GSI, as well as the performance of the pilot infrastructures.

The co-construction of a strategy for the management of climate change at the municipal services level will promote the development of climate change adaptation, the reduction of GHG emissions and the resilience of the communities concerned.

The maps produced can be used as a tool for raising awareness of the issue of coastal squeeze among government decision-makers (federal, provincial and municipal), coastal communities and the general population.