Climate change is becoming a priority for all communities around the Salish Sea. The board of directors of Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council recently backed the creation of a climate change leadership Hub.

The initiative will investigate ways of reducing the vulnerability of eleven First Nations to the negative consequences of climate change, as well as explore ways communities might benefit from long-term adaptation and mitigation opportunities.

(Read about the tribal council’s first N2N (nation-to-nation) workshop on energy and food security.)

“It is impossible to predict exactly what the impacts of climate change will be to the Coast Salish territory,” said Christine Callihoo, who is working on the Hub project. “But some of the implications that we can probably expect include flooding, changes to our water supplies, land and aquatic species, health care, our economies and other issues.

“Climate change presents both challenges and opportunities for everyone. To reduce risks and take advantage of opportunities, there is a general recognition that we must collectively adapt.”

She said that because Coast Salish nations are primarily located around the shores of the Salish Sea, they are even more susceptible to potential impacts of climate change.

Projected levels (light blue) at Tswwassen if there is a two-meter rise – Image courtesy of Climate Central’s Surging Seas risk zone map at http://ss2.climatecentral.org

“Credit must go to the nations’ leadership in recognizing that the safety and security of their communities requires strategic planning and actions to address the potential impacts,” Callihoo said. “There is a need to assess how climate change might impact assets, including community infrastructure, natural resources, traditional foods and medicines, as well as each community’s economic and social sustainability.”

The Hub’s goals are to:

• Draw on community members’ knowledge and ability; and
• Proactively engage and collaborate among nations, as well as with their neighbours and partners.

“We will be committed to put into action both mitigation and adaptation measures, much as Coast Salish nations practiced for millennia,” Callihoo said. “Resilient and adaptive communities have the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.”

In addition to Christine Callihoo, a senior climate change adaptation planning practitioner, the climate change leadership Hub will also draw upon the expertise of flood management specialist Tamsin Lyle, who is a senior engineer and lead researcher on the City of Vancouver’s coastal flood risk assessment project team.