Professions Advancing Adaptation Competencies

The impacts of climate change are rapidly shifting the needs and expectations of Canada’s workforce. To successfully adapt to climate change and build a resilient future for all, practitioners working across Canada must adapt to meet these shifting demands. 

 

The Professions Advancing Adaptation Competencies (PAAC) project examined how climate action competencies can be strengthened and embedded within practice across the Accounting, Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and Planning professions. 

 

Led by the Climate Risk Institute (CRI), in partnership with the Resilience by Design Lab and South Arm Training and Development, and supported by Natural Resources Canada’s Climate Change Adaptation Program, PAAC supported each profession in understanding their current state, identifying gaps, and recommending practical steps to embed climate competencies into professional practice. 

 

National Adaptation Strategy 

Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) set a workforce development and capacity-building target that by 2027, 70% of professionals in key sectors will have the necessary knowledge and skills to apply adaptation tools and resources in their work.  

 

In response to these targets, the PAAC Project aimed to advance climate adaptation competencies across four of the identified professions: Accounting, Engineering, Planning, and Landscape Architecture. The efforts of the PAAC Project will be used to support national professional associations, and their provincial and territorial counterparts, equipping their members with the knowledge and skills required to lead in a changing climate. 

 

The Climate Action Competency Framework (CACF V2) as a Foundation 

The Climate Action Competency Framework (CACF V2), developed by the Resilience by Design Lab, served as the cornerstone of this work. Guided by a multi-sector Steering Committee and four Profession-Specific Subcommittees, the Project Team mapped the CACF V2 competencies against the profession-specific standards, guidelines, and competency frameworks guiding each field.  

 This process helped identify where adaptation competencies were already present, where gaps existed, and how the CACF V2 could be applied or adapted to reflect each profession’s unique responsibilities and opportunities to contribute to climate action. 

 

Resources (Coming soon) 

 

The Professions Advancing Adaptation Competencies project document has three project-level resources available.  

These resources will be published soon. Check back here for further information.  

 

To keep up with the PAAC Project, resources, and publication notifications, join the PAAC Project Page on CanAdapt: https://canadapt.network/PAAC/  

 

 

For more information, please contact Charlynne Robertson, Project Manager.