Hamilton’s Climate Change Impact Adaptation Plan

Preparing our built environment through a range of strategies to increase the infiltration of rainwater, reduce transportation disruptions and help the community reduce risks of flooding and extreme heat, wind and other climate-related hazards.

• Objective 1 - Incorporate climate change into future land use, development and construction.
• Objective 2 - Reduce transportation disruption due to extreme weather events and improve the safety of travel on roads, sidewalks, and trails (i.e. including washouts)

Extreme weather events often come with great public health and safety concerns, especially to vulnerable populations including children, the elderly, those experiencing homelessness, and those with existing health conditions. Increasing community preparedness, access to affordable housing and better monitoring health impacts can help improve community resiliency.

• Objective 3 - Help vulnerable populations (i.e. seniors, youth, outdoor workers, those experiencing homelessness, those with pre-existing health conditions etc.) avoid or reduce health-related impacts of extreme weather and temperatures (including flooding).
• Objective 4 - Improve community preparedness and resilience to response to climate-related risks from extreme weather and temperatures, including flooding.
• Objective 5 - Monitor and plan for the potential introduction of new vectors and increased vector-borne illnesses in the community.
• Objective 6 - Create conditions to minimize health and safety risks to outdoor workers and community members.

Protecting, conserving and enhancing the natural environment and local farmland can have a direct benefit on protecting us against extreme weather events, increasing local food production and even improving mental health.

• Objective 7 - Proactively conserve and protect surface water and groundwater resources.
• Objective 8 - Monitor, maintain and improve the diversity and resiliency of urban trees and forests.
• Objective 9 - Strengthen food security in the City.

Climate change is having and will continue to have large impacts on many of our business and local utilities. Business continuity, supply-chains and utility infrastructure can all be threatened by extreme weather events. Working with local businesses and utilities to better prepare and adapt to climate change is good for the economy

• Objective 10 - Enable local businesses and organizations to plan for climate-related risks.
• Objective 11 - Improve the resilience of energy infrastructure to weather-related disruptions.