Webinar – Climate Change Information Products for Agriculture in Grey, Bruce and Huron Counties of Southern Ontario

April 29, 2021

Presentations by:

Anna Zaytseva (BA, MSc), Advisory and Technical Services Liaison, Climate Risk Institute

Kirsten MacMillan (BASc, BA, EIT), Climate and Engineering Analyst, Climate Risk Institute

Description:

Understanding the state of climate change science in the Great Lakes and the impacts of the changing climate on various sectors and ecosystems in the region has been the focus of a study led by Bruce Power, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) and the Climate Risk Institute (CRI). The project has been scoped to assess climate change impacts, risks and opportunities with respect to three areas of focus – agriculture, municipalities and Indigenous communities – in the counties of Grey, Bruce and Huron. This webinar provided an overview of the work completed for the agricultural sector, including key climate-related trends and impacts as well as hazards and risks to key agricultural activities, crops and livestock in the region. It described how vulnerabilities and sensitivity factors are impacting the severity of impacts and what adaptation strategies could provide solutions to existing and future risks. At the webinar presenters showed examples of information products that address impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector in the region helping farmers and rural communities to better manage the risks related to different weather events and conditions.

Presenter Bios:

Anna Zaytseva (MSc), Advisory and Technical Services Liaison, Climate Risk Institute

Anna is passionate about sustainable development, climate change adaptation and risk assessment. Her experience includes working on place-based projects studying key drivers of change, modelling alternative future scenarios and researching impacts of climate change and weather extremes on the agricultural sector. She has worked with weather, climate and geospatial data in a variety of settings, including government and academia. She is proficient in geospatial and statistical modeling software and has in-depth knowledge of spatial analysis technologies. Anna holds an MSc in Physical Geography from Carleton University and a BA (Hons) in Geography, Geomatics and Spatial Analysis from the University of Ottawa.

Kirsten MacMillan (BASc, BA, EIT), Climate and Engineering Analyst, Climate Risk Institute

Kirsten’s work focuses on the technical analyses of climate and infrastructure projects, including risk assessments and engineering vulnerability, and on improving best practices and knowledge sharing through the support of the Infrastructure Resiliency Professional (IRP) training program and PIEVC protocol. She has previously worked in consulting engineering in Toronto with a focus on infrastructure planning, water resources, and hydraulic modelling. Most recently, she supported an NGO in Sri Lanka to research the impacts of climate change on fishing communities. She completed a dual degree in Civil Engineering and Global Development that provides her with an interdisciplinary mindset on climate change and resilience.

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