Climate Risk Assessment & Adaptation Plan

The main purpose of this Climate Adaptation Plan is to provide the foundation to guide climate adaptation efforts and enhance resilience across the Town of Devon. A variety of high priority climate change risks facing the Town are evaluated in detail, and a robust adaptation strategy to manage priority risks and reduce impacts on residents, businesses, and municipal staff is provided.

Scope

High-level assessment of risk focusing on identifying climate impacts that affect broad categories of built and natural assets, and aspects of the economy. An economic analysis of the costs of inaction was completed.

Risks

19 of 32 identified climate-related consequences were considered to be a very high (5) or high (14) risk to the Town. Very high risks include wildfire smoke, outbreak of invasive species, heat wave, meteorological drought, and hotter summer temperatures (heat stress on the natural landscape).

Actions

The action plan is organized around four themes: Health & Wellbeing, Built Environment, Natural Environment, and Cross-Cutting Action. The action plan includes seven key actions across these four categories:

1. Support vulnerable populations to cope with heat and smoke
2. Update the Wildfire Mitigation Strategy
3. Audit town buildings and facilities for climate resilience
4. Implement a building & facility preparedness strategy
5. Implement a climate resilient landscapes strategy
6. Develop a climate resilience education program for residents 7. Apply a ‘climate lens’ to all future planning and projects, decisions

Social equity

The plan considers the disproportionate impacts of climate change and extreme weather on vulnerable populations, with one of the actions being to support low income residents and other vulnerable populations with heat and wildfire smoke exposure.

Community engagement

Community survey for residents to provide their feedback on how their community might be impacted by changing climate conditions.

Community awareness night to gather ideas from residents on how the Town could better manage climate risks.