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Communities adaptation >
Urban centres
Cities usually have greater adaptive capacity than rural communities because of their communication and transportation infrastructures. Cities also have better economic reserves and emergency response capacities, and tend to have greater political influence.
The primary climate impacts of concern for cities on the Prairies are:
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Extreme weather events
Weather events that bring high amounts of precipitation in a short time may become more frequent. (1)
These events may overburden municipal and individual drain and sewage systems. Therefore, it may be necessary to review the capacity of these systems to perform during these rain-induced floods.
If this precipitation comes in the winter, it may tax snow removal capacities and budgets. It may also affect the capacity of some structures to support the load of snow.
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Drought
Projected increases in the magnitude and frequency of drought will certainly have an impact on water supply and place an emphasis on water efficiency initiatives.
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Heat stress
The highest temperatures recorded in Canada have occurred on the Prairies. Up until recently Prairie heat spells have usually been of short duration, are rarely associated with high humidity, and are cooled at night.
Cities are hotter than surrounding areas due to the 'urban heat island' (UHI) effect. (2)
Hot spells are expected to become more frequent and of longer duration. This will particularly affect the more vulnerable populations: the very young, the aged, the infirm, and the poor. (See Health) We may need to adopt policies and technologies to deal with heat stress, such as city shelters for those unable to afford residential air conditioning.
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Green space
Urban green spaces are susceptible to long-term shifts in both average temperatures and precipitation. This could be detrimental to some existing species if they are poorly suited to emergent climate trends. For example, in 2007 the City of Edmonton estimated that they have lost approximately 23,000 trees since 2002 as a result of drought. (3)
