Keyword Adaptation

In the Heiltsuk (Haíɫzaqv) Nation, community-led infrastructure projects such as clam gardens and the Big House enhance community resilience. This film explores how values, traditions, and the principle of “Looking Back to Look Forward” guide the creation of climate-resilient, culturally relevant infrastructure. It shares the intergenerational wisdom of the Haíɫzaqv Nation on climate change and community infrastructure.

The North Shore Tribal Council, together with Sagamok Anishinawbek, Batchawana First Nation, and OFNTSC, is preparing infrastructure for climate impacts using the First Nations Infrastructure Resilience Toolkit (FN-IRT). This approach combines technical expertise with community knowledge to support adaptation planning for infrastructure and cultural resilience.

First Nations from coast to coast to coast have lived through major periods of disruption, through ice ages and the emergence into warm periods, colonialism and its lasting impacts, and now climate change. “And now we're rebuilding.” Hereditary Chief Frank Brown of the Haíɫzaqv Nation, Bella Bella, British Columbia explains that “in a time of climate change and biodiversity loss, it's imperative that when we rebuild that we rebuild in a way that the infrastructure meets the needs of our communities, that have been in place for 14,000 years and have an incredible story to tell.”

Infrastructure is often thought of as physical objects built from concrete, steel, and timber, like roads, buildings, water treatment plants or energy networks. These are the physical systems, buildings, structures, and facilities that help people carry out daily activities. They are designed and developed by humans to make lives easier, more efficient, and generally to improve quality of life. [1]

Climate change is happening. Understanding what the potential risks of climate change are helps us to prepare for them. Even with large efforts to reduce global emissions, we will still feel impacts from these changes, and the effects will be felt most heavily at the community level. It is therefore critical for communities to adapt, make changes, and reduce risk. This generally starts with a planning process called a climate risk assessment.

“We want to take a look at how we can build better information for First Nations.” Climate change planning needs to be done by community, for community. That’s what Elmer Lickers believes is the key to success. Elmer Lickers is Mohawk, a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation. He is also a senior advisor at the Ontario First Nations Technical Service Corporation (OFNTSC). Lickers and his team work with communities on a program called the First Nations Infrastructure Resilience Toolkit (FN-IRT), a First Nations specific approach to climate change risk assessment for infrastructure and asset management. (Learn more about the Basics of Climate Risk Assessment

Winter is central to the Canadian prairie identity. It’s the defining season for a people whose common enemy is also their strength. The long cold snowy winter is also important to economies and ecosystems. And that winter is changing. Set to the backdrop of the Nestaweya River Trail, one of Canada’s longest skating trails, resilient settlers and newcomers alike talk about adapting to a world where the joys of the season are shrinking and what that will mean for future generations.

AVAILABLE WITH DESCRIPTIVE AUDIO: https://youtu.be/vUDsjqmQWu4 People with disabilities are the world's largest minority group and are disproportionately affected by climate change. As disability justice and climate issues collide, Cripping Climate Adaptation lays bare the often disastrous consequences of overlooking people with disabilities and illustrates the need to consider the unique needs of people with disabilities and include them in climate adaptation. Set to a lively visual backdrop of dance, music, and activism, this documentary defines the incredible toolkit on adaptation from the disability community, one that adds depth, texture and creativity to get beyond traditional ways of how the environment is used. Let's not miss out on this tool kit of ways of seeing.

Montana First Nation is located in what was once rich oil and gas country in central Alberta. But as the oil wells began to dry up, the small community was faced with the enormous challenge of finding new employment for many of their members who landed out of work.