Adaptation to climate change and potash mining in Saskatchewan

Climate change is expected to have significant implications for Canada's economy. Many of these implications are cross-cutting (e.g. changing water availability, excessive moisture, extreme weather events) and will affect a number of key economic sectors, including the potash mining industry, which employed 5,041 Canadians and contributed $6.7 billion to Canadian exports in 2011 (NRCan 2012). To assess the readiness of the potash mining sector for climate change and support adaptation, decision makers need to know the nature of vulnerability, in terms of who and what are vulnerable, to what stresses, and in what way, and also what is the capacity of the system to adapt to changing conditions (Smit et al. 2000; Turner et al. 2003). This research examines climate change vulnerability and adaptation in a case study of the potash industry in Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle River Watershed and aims to shed light on ways to enhance the competitiveness and adaptive capacity of the industry under a changing climate. The report begins by providing background information on the case study and research methods. It then presents the results, focusing on existing adaptation actions, the drivers of these actions, how the progress of these actions towards meeting desired goals is tracked, lessons learned for future climate change adaptation, and the potential role of government in increasing the industry's adaptive capacity. Finally, the main conclusions from this work are presented.