Sustainability Planning in Arctic Resource Communities

1
Sustainability Planning inArctic Resource
Communities

• Michelle Boyle and Hadi Dowlatabadi,
• University of British Columbia
• with
• Members of the Nunavut Economic Developers
  Association

2
Acknowledgements

• Climate Decision Making Center, Carnegie Mellon
  University (NSF SES-034578) and former HDGEC
• SSHRC, Northern Development Program and Doctoral
  Fellowship Program
• INAC, Northern Scientific Training Program
• SSHRC/DFO, Oceans Management Research Network
• Nunavut Economic Developers Association
• Susan Rowley, James Tansey

3
The Research Project

• Historic patterns of development in the arctic
  and its relationship to communities.
• Current community priorities, control and
  capacity.
• Strategic planning tools for adaptation.

4
Agenda

• Theoretical frameworks for community adaptation
• Comparison with an actual planning process
  (analysis and results)
• Implications for building adaptive capacity in
  communities

5
Climate vulnerability sets priorities
Models of community adaptation
Sensitivity to climate change
Community priorities
6
All vulnerabilities set priorities
Models of community adaptation
Sensitivity to multiple stresses
Sensitivity to climate change
Community priorities
7
Local control is limited
Models of community adaptation
Sensitivity to multiple stresses
Sensitivity to climate change
Community priorities
Community control
8
A climate focus is only a partial picture
Models of community adaptation
Adaptive Capacity
Sensitivity to multiple stresses
Sensitivity to climate change
Community priorities
Community control
9
A fuller picture
Models of community adaptation
Successful Responses
Adaptive Capacity
Sensitivity to multiple stresses
Sensitivity to climate change
Community priorities
Community control
External resources
10
Hypotheses

• H0 Communities identify risks from climate
  change as a special priority.
• H1a Communities enjoy control commensurate with
  their priorities.
• H1b Communities enjoy control over matters
  involving climate change adaptation.
• H2 CEDO priorities and resources match needs for
  broader community development planning.

11
Nunavut Economic Development Strategy (NEDS) 2003

• THE LAND
• Respecting the land
• Maintaining our mixed economy
• Building on the knowledge of our Elders
• OUR PEOPLE
• Economic development for youth
• Education and training
• Basic needs housing, hospitals and schools
• OUR COMMUNITY ECONOMIES
• Community capacity building and organizational
  development
• Small and Inuit business development
• Building the knowledge base
• OUR TERRITORIAL ECONOMY
• Putting the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to work
• Sector development and support systems
• Infrastructure from buildings to broadband
• Accessing the global marketplace

12
Method

• NEDS 2003
• 143 Action Items (excluding 24 implementation
  items)
• NEDA priority identification
• Our informed judgments about broader community
  priorities, sensitivity and levels of control

• Caveats
• Action items as units of observation.
• NEDS as reflection of priorities
• broad guiding principles
• 4 forms of capital E,H,S,P

13
High Community Priorities

• THE LAND
• Respecting the land
• Maintaining our mixed economy
• Building on the knowledge of our Elders
• OUR PEOPLE
• Economic development for youth
• Education and training
• Basic needs housing, hospitals and schools
• OUR COMMUNITY ECONOMIES
• Community capacity building and organizational
  development
• Small and Inuit business development
• Building the knowledge base
• OUR TERRITORIAL ECONOMY
• Putting the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement to work
• Sector development and support systems
• Infrastructure from buildings to broadband
• Accessing the global marketplace

14
CharacterizingCommunity Priorities
15
Climate Sensitivity Community Priority
16
Community Priorities
Sensitivity to multiple stresses
Sensitivity to climate change
High Community priorities
Community control
9
91
17
Characterizing Community Control
18
Community Control Community Priority
19
Community Control Climate Sensitivity
20
Characterizing Community Priorities
21
Characterizing Community CEDO Priorities
Make the implementation of the community
development plan the primary task of the
community economic developer.
22
Conclusions
?

• H0 Communities identify risks from climate
  change as a special priority.
• H1a Communities enjoy control commensurate with
  their priorities.
• H1b Communities enjoy control over matters
  involving climate change adaptation.
• H2 CEDO priorities and resources match needs for
  broader community development planning

?
?
?
?
23
Implications for building adaptive capacity in
arctic communities

• Climate adaptation should become mainstream in
  community planning.
• Responsibilities should be better coordinated
  across scales relevant to resource allocation and
  regulation in Nunavut.
• Responsibilities should be better coordinated
  across jurisdictions within communities.

24

• Questions?

25
Community Priorities and Climate Sensitivity

• most community priorities are not sensitive to
  climate

• little added emphasis in community priorities
  for items of high sensitivity to climate change
  impacts.

26
Climate Sensitivity and Community Control

• communities have incomplete control over both
  climate sensitive and non-climate sensitive items

27
Community Priorities and Community Control

• control is not sought for low priority items?

• communities have incomplete control over higher
  priority items