Local governments can encourage proactive action on climate change by incorporating adaptation measures into long-term planning documents. The authors undertook action-oriented, case study research by participating (as adaptation experts) in the process to create a sustainability and land use policy plan for the City of Prince George, Canada. A range of adaptation measures was incorporated into both documents. Factors enabling the incorporation of adaptation included a high level of local awareness, an existing adaptation strategy to draw upon and the flexible process used to create the plans. Challenges such as a lack of priority, limited policy direction and perceptions of climate change as solely an environmental challenge persist as barriers to incorporating adaptation into local plans, particularly in smaller centres.
Picketts, IM; Déry, SJ; Curry, JA
Incorporating climate change adaptation into local plans
Journal Of Environmental Planning And Management