Estimating Future Costs for Infrastructure in the Proposed Canadian Northern Corridor at Risk from Climate Change
Nathan S. Debortoli, Tristan D. Pearce, and James D. Ford
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Number 39 • March 2023
This paper reviews current climate change projections for northern Canada and considers what these mean for infrastructure development in the proposed Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC). We focus on chokepoints along the corridor’s notional route and estimate future costs of infrastructure along the chokepoints. We draw upon climate change projections at the end of the century (2100) using information from several climate variables sourced on the CMIP6 and CMIP5 reports. Infrastructure built along the CNC route will need to be designed to remain functional under different climatic conditions that predominate today. Chokepoints will dictate how buildings and transportation infrastructure should be planned.
Community-based Environmental Monitoring (CBEM) for Meaningful Incorporation of Indigenous and Local Knowledge
Evgeniia (Jen) Sidorova and Luis D. Virla
The School of Public Policy Publications
Volume 15 • Issue 15 • June 2022
Meaningful incorporation of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts is key to accelerating effective action plans. This study argues that community-based environmental monitoring (CBEM), if done properly, can be more effective in incorporating ILK than environmental impact and monitoring based only on Western science. The paper examines successful elements, benefits, challenges and limitations in the existing CBEM studies that incorporate ILK to recognize how to design comprehensive CBEM policy for large-scale infrastructure projects such as the Canadian Northern Corridor (CNC) concept.
Climate Change and Implications for the Proposed Canadian Northern Corridor
Tristan Pearce, James D. Ford and David Fawcett
The School of Public Policy Publications Volume 13 • Issue 26 • November 2020
Canada’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., the Paris agreement), the responses of the global economy to climate change, and the existence (or lack thereof) of a social licence for the development of infrastructure that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions all need to be considered in the visioning of the corridor. Will a Canadian Northern Corridor be relevant in an economy that is moving away from fossil fuel dependency and towards renewable energy? If so, will building, operating and maintaining the infrastructure within a corridor be feasible under changing climatic conditions, such as those outlined in this report?
