Meeting the Climate Change Challenge

British Columbia (BC) is a Canadian leader in implementing climate change innovation on the ground by local communities. In response to the threat of anthropogenic climate change, the province has introduced innovative legislation and policies that go far beyond those in other North American jurisdictions. The first phase of our research, from 2011 to 2013 studied 11 community leaders, and the detailed case study descriptions may be found here. For a detailed description of the first phase, click here. The final research outcome was An Action Agenda for BC Decision-Makers: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.

We are now wrapping up the second phase of our three-year SSHRC-funded research project, in which we have gathered new scientific evidence of whether mitigation and adaption activities result in transformative changes toward more sustainable paths at the local scale. We have been developing a coherent theory of development path change, the conditions under which development paths can be transformed, including the drivers and barriers to action, as well as key indicators associated with such a shift. We have continued our aggressive research outcomes outreach, using our social media channels, e-Dialogues, live chats, blogging, video production, peer-to-peer learning exchanges, and online case study documentation.

The research team and partners remained the same as the previous project with a few invaluable additions. MC3 2.0 brings together researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers from non-governmental organizations, provincial ministries, and three of BC’s universities to capitalize on further study of this provincial living laboratory. We were privileged to be joined by Dr. François Jost, a postdoctoral researcher at Royal Roads University; Alastair Moore, a doctoral student at the University of Manchester; Chris Strashok, an associate professor at Royal Roads University; and Dr. Emily Huddart Kennedy, an assistant professor at Washington State University. Our research partners include Dale Littejohn, Executive Director and CAO, Community Energy Association (CEA). We are also joined by Dr. Alison Shaw, FlipSide, Sustainability.