The Province of British Columbia has announced it is taking action to reduce the impacts of climate-related disasters on people and communities — and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) is supporting the effort by mobilizing climate knowledge from experts across the province.
PICS has received $495,000 to improve the tools that governments and communities use to assess their climate risks. The project will harness the expertise of B.C.’s academic sector, including the University of Victoria, University of British Columbia, University of Northern British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
“As we mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, we recognize the significant impacts that climate change has had on the people of our province,” says Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness.
“These initiatives will amplify our understanding of where our strengths and risks are, enabling us to bolster our collective resiliency to the impacts of climate change. While important progress is being made, we know there is more work to be done and we are committed to continuing the work to keep people and communities safer.”
“Our capacity to generate resilience across diverse communities and institutions must match the pace at which climate risks are unfolding,” says PICS Executive Director Dr. Ian Mauro. “By convening and supporting the university research community, we are helping to mobilize knowledge and contribute to emergency management and climate readiness.”
