Environmental Planning & Climate Change

The Town of Essex is taking steps to address the environmental changes impacting our community.

Climate change, increasing resource consumption and the rising cost of fossil fuel can take a toll on budget allocations, infrastructure maintenance and other municipal services. Addressing these changes proactively requires a concerted effort and a plan of action.

This will be an ongoing task, as the degrees of change have yet to be determined and experienced. Like other proactive municipalities, the Town of Essex is committed to the management of our resources in sustainable and adaptable ways for the long-term benefit of our residents, businesses and institutions.

Essex Climate Adaptation team

The Town of Essex is taking the next steps towards the development of a comprehensive Climate Change Adaptation Plan (CCAP), which will help the municipality plan and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The Essex Climate Adaptation Team (ECAT), made up of interested citizens and stakeholders, assists Town staff in developing the CCAP by identifying measures to improve adaptation, reduce vulnerability, enhance community resilience and protect resources while identifying potential cost-savings and economic opportunities.

Learn more online at the Essex Climate Adaptation Team's page.

Climate Change: What it means for the Town of Essex

Science has confirmed that the earth is warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the mean temperature for the planet as a whole has climbed 0.74 ̊C in the last 100 years. Due to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect, the long-term pattern of weather that Essex residents are used to experiencing is changing.

The greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide trap heat from the sun in the lower atmosphere to keep the planet warm and habitable. These gases occur naturally, but the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is on the rise due to human activity. Use of fossil fuels and deforestation contribute to an increase in the Earth's mean temperature.

Where do greenhouse gases come from?

Greenhouse gases come from a variety of sources including the combustion of fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas) for transportation, industry, building and electricity production. Greenhouse gases are also generated from agriculture and waste.

Local Impacts

According to Milestone Two and the Science of Climate Change, a report generated in April 2012 for the Town of Essex by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, the following changes are likely:

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that neither adaptation nor mitigation alone can avoid all climate change impacts, but they can complement each other and together can significantly reduce the risks of climate change. The Town of Essex has committed itself to both adaptation strategies and mitigation measures to minimize the risks associated with a changing climate.