The Pembina Institute's Sustainable Communities Group provides climate change services to

• international communities
• Aboriginal communities
• municipalities

International Communities and Climate Change

Global climate change is already affecting ecosystems around the world, and the adverse impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect people in developing countries. Increases in the number of areas affected by droughts, a rise in the number of intense rainfall events, more frequent heat waves, and rising sea levels are just some of the climate change impacts that threaten livelihoods, human health, food security and water supplies.

While developing countries' energy use per capita is significantly below that of industrialized countries — particularly among the least developed countries — the demand for reliable energy supplies is growing as development increases.

Our Work

The Pembina Institute recognizes that accelerating the growth of renewable energy in developing countries provides "double dividends". First, access to reliable energy supplies is critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Second, meeting energy needs with renewable energy avoids greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional energy sources such as oil, gas and coal.

Delivering Benefits through the Clean Development Mechanism

The Pembina Institute is working with communities and entrepreneurs in developing countries to improve their access to innovative financing for renewable energy projects, such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The CDM is a tool introduced under the Kyoto Protocol that helps industrialized countries meet their "Kyoto commitments" by investing in renewable energy and other emission reduction projects in developing countries.

The Pembina Institute supports the efforts of small-scale entrepreneurs and organizations to access financing for renewable energy projects, and provides technical support for project developers through our Small Project Facilities (SPF).

In 2002, the Pembina Institute launched the CDM Small Project Facility in India, and has since extended this successful training program to Kenya (2004) and Nigeria (2006).

The Small Project Facilities help local project developers gain knowledge and experience in leveraging project financing through the CDM and other financing options. The resulting projects contribute significantly to the development of participating communities resulting in improved energy services (lighting, hot water, refrigeration), income generation (small businesses, agricultural services), household savings (reduced fuel consumption) and improved health and educational opportunities (cleaner fuels, access to lighting for studying).

The CDM Small Project Facility in India also esulted in the design of a new baseline methodology for small-scale projects, helping pave the way for other project developers interested in leveraging CDM financing for similar projects.

We are currently designing a Renewable Energy Small Project Facility with the aim of working with small-scale project developers in Africa to increase their awareness of and ability to leverage conventional and carbon financing for sustainable renewable energy projects.

Strengthening the CDM

The Pembina Institute continually seeks to strengthen the development benefits of the CDM by working with project developers and partner organizations to overcome regulatory, market and information barriers to project development.

The Pembina Institute has also provided recommendations to the CDM Executive Board and the Canadian government related to the introduction of simplified procedures for small-scale CDM activities and ways to support the development of quality CDM projects.

For more information about our international climate change services, view our related publications or contact

Paul Cobb

• Community Project Analyst
• Email: paulc(at)pembina.org
  Tel: 819-483-6288 Ext 23

Aboriginal Communities and Climate Change

In Canada, Aboriginal communities are likely to be among the hardest hit by the effects of global climate change because of geography, connectedness to the land and limited resources to adapt to changing conditions. At the same time, Aboriginal communities are in a position to significantly benefit from measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as improving energy efficiency and using renewable energy resources.

Communities can take steps to manage local energy demand, assess renewable resource options, and develop clean, reliable energy systems that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience to the impacts of climate change by

• expanding local job opportunities

• decreasing dependence on energy imports

• proactively addressing concerns about the environmental impacts of energy use.

Our Work

The Pembina Institute recognizes that empowering Aboriginal communities to manage and plan for their energy needs can help strengthen their ability to respond and adapt to changing conditions. Other factors that can increase community involvement in energy issues include

• increasing self-sufficiency at the local level

• reducing energy price volatility

• harvesting local renewable resources from the Earth.

The Pembina Institute has worked with Federal departments including Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and Natural Resources Canada, as well as provincial governments to assist Aboriginal and Northern communities implement greenhouse gas reduction measures.

Through programs such as the Aboriginal and Northern Community Action Program (ANCAP), our team has worked with aboriginal communities to complete energy baselines and renewable resource assessments, and to build local capacity to develop alternative energy systems. This particular program has resulted in six large-scale energy projects that will result in the reduction of 2.7 megatonnes of CO₂ over their life cycles.

The Pembina Institute is working to ensure this or a similar program remains available to Aboriginal and Northern communities. Already over 70 First Nations are in a position to implement large-scale alternative energy projects should federal support continue.

For more information about our Aboriginal climate change services, contact

Tim Weis, P.Eng.

• Sustainable Energy Engineer
• Email: timw(at)pembina.org
  Phone: 780-485-9610 Ext. 103

Climate Change Strategies for Municipalities

Municipalities carry a lot of weight when it comes to combating climate change. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has estimated that approximately 50% of emissions in Canada are directly or in-directly controlled or influenced by municipal governments. In addition, municipalities and their residents may directly experience such impacts of climate change as declining water supplies and damage to infrastructure, buildings and vehicles from severe storms. Reducing emissions and preparing to adapt to impacts are both important components of increasing municipalities' resilience to climate change.

Our Work

The Pembina Institute provides expert advice and assistance to municipalities in developing climate change strategies.

Our team is working with municipalities on adaptation planning to develop and put in place the tools, capacity and decision-making processes necessary to address climate change impacts at the community level.

In municipalities such as the City of Yellowknife, our team is working with municipal staff, officials and community members to

• examine possible climate change scenarios

• identify potential climate-related risks

• develop the capacity among municipal staff and officials to ensure due diligence in the management of public assets and ensure public buy-in to decisions

• include assessment tools and improved decision-making strategies in planning processes

• minimize unanticipated costs associated with remediation efforts

• ensure adaptation measures are efficiently implemented, effective and consistent with the long-term vision of the community.

We also offer municipalities a range of services to assist in developing and implementing practical greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, including

• Community Energy Planning
• Integrated Community Sustainability Planning (ICSP)
• Policy and Program Analysis
• Smart Growth Planning

For more information about our municipal climate change services, contact

Jesse Row, P.Eng.

• Director, Sustainable Communities Group
• Email: jesser(at)pembina.org
  Phone: 403-269-3344 Ext. 110