Floods, fires, heatwaves, and landslides are threatening people’s livelihoods across B.C. and costing taxpayers more each year.
Climate change is making B.C.’s risks more challenging to manage.
To efficiently and equitably manage B.C.’s climate risks, decision makers need to know what the tops risk are and where they are. Risk assessments are supposed to answer those key questions.
The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions spent a year working with top researchers and practitioners across the province to outline how research and evidence can better inform risk assessments. Our work is detailed in the technical report: Bridging climate research and risk assessments: A research and knowledge mobilization agenda.
Based on our analysis, we outline a blueprint for bringing evidence into risk assessments. We describe three Resilience Pathways for B.C:
- Strengthen risk assessment frameworks
- Use mixed methods, include Indigenous Knowledges and community input, and evaluate cumulative, interconnected risks.
- Promote consistency through shared language, equity integration, and regional coordination
- Improve integration of climate research
- Centralize and translate research into decision-ready formats.
- Fund boundary organizations and enhance practitioner access to tools and guidance.
- Innovate research approaches
- Prioritize co-designed and interdisciplinary research that addresses real-world needs.
- Align research funding and processes with B.C.’s diverse geography, governance, and community contexts
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.