Call for Sessions opens September!
Tuesday, May 9
11:30–12:30
Toronto I & II
Free livestream on Zoom Webinar - Follow "Join" link shortly before event
Over the past 35 years, experience in adapting to climate variability and change in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Basin has emerged. This presentation charts the evolution of adaptation with selected questions guiding the narrative. They include, what were the issues and key questions? What were the approaches and outcomes? What gaps and needs arose? This retrospective reflects upon what was learned and accomplished. Moreover, it proposes advances to best meet the challenges of taking action on climate change adaptation. Recommendations for successful adaptation planning and implementation include applying scenario-based approaches, framing outcomes from a resilience perspective, advancing from incremental to transformational solutions, and integrating across scale and jurisdiction.
Linda Mortsch has devoted her 40-year career to addressing climate change and facilitating adaptation in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and elsewhere. She has assessed impacts, vulnerability, and resilience to support adaptation decision making in water resources, coastal areas, and wetland ecosystems. Linda co-led the 1990s binational project “Adapting to climate variability and change in the Great Lakes Basin,” which was one of the first to engage stakeholders and explore adaptation to climate change. She co-authored a 2003 white paper for the International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Water Quality Board that developed the background for including climate change in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Her recent research focuses on advancing climate change adaptation in coastal areas through integrated coastal planning and management.
Linda has contributed to all Canadian National Climate Change Assessment reports. Since 1989, she has participated in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. For the 2022 sixth assessment report, she was a coordinating lead author for the North America chapter.
Linda retired from Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2015. She now consults and has an adjunct appointment in the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Environment. Linda’s awards include the 2009 Alumni Achievement Award from the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in recognition of professional achievement and distinguished environmental and community leadership.
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