The Climate Nexus: Water, Food, Energy & Biodiversity

Tuesday, April 26th 2016 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. PST

POLIS Water Sustainability Project Creating a Blue Dialogue Webinar Series 2015/2016

Thank You to Our Partners & Supporters

POLIS Water Sustainability Project Creating a Blue Dialogue Webinar Series 2015/2016

Series Partners & Funders

A Few Things Before We Begin

1. Audio

2. Question Period

3. Introductions

POLIS Water Sustainability Project Creating a Blue Dialogue Webinar Series 2015/2016

Today’s Speakers

Robert Sandford Author; EPCOR Chair for Water and Climate Security

Jon O’Riordan Senior Policy and Research Advisor, SFU Adaptation to Climate Change Team

POLIS Water Sustainability Project Creating a Blue Dialogue Webinar Series 2015/2016

The Climate Nexus Crisis Water, Food, Energy, Biodiversity

Blue Dialogue Webinar Series

Tuesday April 26, 2016

Jon O’Riordan and Bob Sandford

Outline of Presentation

• Jon will introduce the concept of the nexus, why it faces a crisis with the advent of a changing hydro climatic regime and loss of biodiversity

• Bob will comment on world events associated with the Nexus and international responses

• Jon will conclude with a review of low carbon resilience measures to adapt the nexus to accommodate future risks

What is the Climate Nexus

• The inter relationships between water, food, energy and biodiversity

• The Nexus faces a ‘perfect storm’ of ever increasing demands coupled with loss of ‘free’ ecosystem services and irreversible changes to hydro- climate regimes across the globe.

• Water lies at the heart of the nexus yet faces the greatest challenge due to increasing droughts and flooding

• Functioning nexus lies at the heart of sustaining all communities yet it faces a crisis

The Anthropocene

WEF Global Risk Analysis

Munich re Analysis

Global Risks-- Syria

International response

International response

From Reaction to Transformation

• Reaction • Responding after events

• Recreating the same infrastructure that failed

• Rapidly increasing costs

• Adaptation • Planning in advance of events

• Retaining the same paradigms for risk management

• Transformation • Totally new approaches to managing the nexus

• Demand side and supply side evaluation

• Public awareness and education

Water Transformation

• Maintain healthy watersheds to adapt to changing hydro-climate regimes

• Importance of WSA regulations • Environmental flows and risk assessments

• Provincial objectives and beneficial use

• Area based regulations

• Water sustainability plans– water reserves

• Cumulative effects analysis • Aligning land and water objectives

Food transformation--Soil Matters

Energy transformations

• Centralized to distributed

• Re design the grids for variety of energy sources

• Changing business model • Net metering

• Battery storage

• Changing technology • Solar power

• Original Treaty in 1964 for flood control and power

• Opportunity to renegotiate Treaty by 2024

• Increased role for First Nations, ecosystem services and climate nexus of food, water and energy

• ACT has valued ecosystem services in fish, recreation, agriculture and carbon sequestration

• Hydro climatic change will increase future values of ecosystem services and strengthen Canada’s position

• Assessment of ecosystem science required

Columbia River Treaty

Integrate Top Down and Bottom Up Measures

• Big picture policies – Pricing carbon – Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies – Financial incentives for renewables – Trade agreements based on mutual emissions reduction and

adaptation strategies – regulations

• Operational Practices – New professional standards in redesigning food, water and

energy systems under a changing hydro-climate – Integrated land, water and food production systems – Low carbon resilience strategies – Improve business case eg insurance

Increasing Awareness Universal Education

• Food security – Eliminate waste – Buy locally – Reduce beef consumption

• Energy Security – Reduce energy use – Develop new business model for distributed energy systems – Transition to electric vehicles

• Water Security – Water conservation and metering – Water reuse in wastewater treatment design

• Nature – Ecosystem resiliency

Nexus Footprint

• Personal tracking system • Energy use

• Water use

• Food consumption

• Outcome measures • % Reduction in food waste

• % reductions in water use

• % reductions in energy use

• Sharing stories • Transforming guilt to pride

Low Carbon Resiliency

• Explores potential synergies between adaptation and mitigation

• Rationale: – Current political movements internationally and in Canada

– Canadian federal government investments in adaptation, mitigation, green infrastructure and low carbon economy

– Multiple benefits (whole systems thinking)

– Savings: Time, financial resources, infrastructure

Case Studies

Lucid Energy

Don Mouth Naturalization Plan

The Climate Nexus: Water, Food, Energy and Biodiversity in

a Changing World

Question Period

POLIS Water Sustainability Project Creating a Blue Dialogue Webinar Series 2015/2016

Thank You! Stay tuned for details on the next webinar in the series.

www.youtube.com/POLISWaterProject