University of Regina to study how to cope with the impact of global warming on the Prairies

News Release Release Date: June 2, 2011 12:00 p.m.

Researchers at the University of Regina have been awarded $1.25 million to study how climate change will impact the Prairies, especially the agricultural and Indigenous communities. The money is part of a $2.5 million international project on Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Extremes in the Americas. A total of $12.5 million was announced by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the International Research Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change (IRIACC) today in Ottawa.

The University of Regina project will be led by David Sauchyn, a geography professor, and  senior research scientist at the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative. The University of Regina will partner with the Universidad de Chile in its work on the five-year project, which will also involve collaboration with researchers and decision-makers in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

"The work will take us to the Swift Current region in Saskatchewan, so we can see first hand the potential impacts of global warming in our own backyard," said David Sauchyn. "The idea is to examine how vulnerable people and regions can adapt to climate change."

Sauchyn said a portion of the work will also be carried out in Southern Alberta, and that water stewardship groups in both provinces will be actively engaged.

"We need to hear from the people on the ground in these communities, because they are the ones who know best what is happening, and stand to be impacted the most ," said Sauchyn. "The more we know about possible impacts, the better able we are to deal and adapt to potential change."

"The University of Regina has developed an international reputation for its expertise in climate change research," said Vianne Timmons, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University. "We are proud that our researchers will be playing such a key role in this latest study that will have important benefits both within Saskatchewan and around the world."

Sauchyn has been at the forefront of research looking into climate change and adaptation for years, including involvement in a 2008 natural Resources Canada report which found that the climate of the Prairies is warming faster than the global average, potentially leading to an increasing number of extreme events such as drought and excess water.

IRIACC is a unique collaboration funded by IRDC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).