Twelve organizations to host climate change interns in 2021
The following is released from the Province of Prince Edward Island.
Twelve organizations from all sectors across Prince Edward Island will host 15 interns and build climate change expertise in 2021 as part of the ClimateSense Professional Internship Program. The program is administered by the UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation for the Province of Prince Edward Island.
The program provides funding for recent post-secondary graduates to work with host organizations in both the public and private sectors to build adaptation capacity and expertise and prepare for the impacts of climate change. Applications are now open for internship placements beginning in January 2021. The closing date is November 5, 2020. A second intake will occur in June 2021.
“This is an incredible chance for Island organizations to work with recent graduates and delve deeper into the opportunities and challenges that will come with climate change,” said Environment, Water and Climate Change Minister Natalie Jameson. “If you are a recent or soon-to-be graduate with a passion for the environment and tackling climate change, this is an amazing opportunity to gain hands-on experience and develop your skills.”
In addition to the UPEI Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation and the UPEI Climate Research Lab, host organizations include the Abegweit First Nation, Actions Femmes I.-P.-É, the City of Charlottetown, Creative PEI, Island Nature Trust, the Municipality of Victoria, the Prince Edward Island Watershed Alliance, the Town of Stratford, and the Wind Energy Institute of Canada.
“As a non-profit representing the Francophone and Acadian women on the Island, Actions Femmes I.-P.-É is pleased and very proud to be able to take part in the ClimateSense program. Having an intern will allow us to look at how women are impacted, how we can adapt to climate change, and above all, it’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of climate change in the French community and better protect the most vulnerable populations. We believe that it is important to no longer consider women only as part of vulnerable groups, but as indispensable actors of change,” said Johanna Venturini, Directrice générale, Actions Femmes I.-P.-É.
The Province of Prince Edward Island will also host interns in the departments of Agriculture and Land, Education and Lifelong Learning, Social Development and Housing, and Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy.
The program is a partnership between the provincial government, the University of Prince Edward Island’s School of Climate Change and Adaptation, and Natural Resources Canada’s Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) Program. Other partners include the Architects Association of PEI, Engineers PEI, PEI Institute of Professional Planners, and the PEI Watershed Alliance.
Natural Resources Canada’s BRACE program is an $18-million strategic investment under the Adaptation and Climate Resilience pillar of the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The program works directly with provinces to deliver projects that include training, internships, and knowledge-sharing activities that will build the capacity Canadians need to respond to the effects of a changing climate.
For more information visit, www.climatesense.ca or contact climatesense@upei.ca
- 30 -
Media contact:
Leanne Ritchie
Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change
902-314-0134
lpritchie@gov.pe.ca
Program contact:
Ross Dwyer, Project Manager
UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation
902-620-5151
rdwyer@upei.ca
Backgrounder
The following organizations will host a ClimateSense intern in 2021:
The Abegweit First Nation will host an intern for 12 months to design and initiate an asset inventory, risk assessment, and adaptation strategy, which considers the expected effects of climate change.
Actions Femmes I.P.É will host an intern for 12 months to develop and implement an adaptation strategy for Action Femmes, with a focus on the effects of climate change on Acadian and francophone women in PEI.
The Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation will host an intern for 12 months to investigate the creation of a non-governmental organization serving the interests of climate change and adaptation officers in Canada.
The City of Charlottetown will host two interns for six months each. The first position will identify gaps and develop policy for development that considers Climate Change Adaptation to be included in city by-laws. The second position will focus on infrastructure resilience.
CreativePEI will host an intern for 12 months to develop and deliver a series of community-engaged arts outreach activities for targeted segments of the population to inspire action on climate adaptation.
Island Nature Trust will host an intern for 12 months to analyze the natural areas owned by Island Nature Trust and develop and implement a stewardship plan to create resiliency against the impacts of climate change and improve natural carbon sinks to maximize carbon sequestration.
The Municipality of Victoria will host an intern for six months to work with the community on the implementation of a climate change adaptation action policy to incorporate into the municipality’s “Vision 2035” and emergency management plans. There are serious concerns relating to erosion and sea level rise as well as critical infrastructure close to the sea. The commercial fishery and thriving tourism sectors are being affected by climate change.
The PEI Watershed Alliance will host an intern for six months to work with watershed groups and PEI Watershed Alliance members to address knowledge and communication gaps around climate change and adaptation. This includes researching and compiling resources on habitat resiliency techniques and other adaptation techniques to be shared with watershed groups as well as developing climate change education materials and resources.
The Town of Stratford will host an intern for six months to assess coastal infrastructure vulnerabilities, with a specific aim of developing and implementing adaptation measures for wastewater pumping stations as well as coastal properties.
The University of Prince Edward Island’s Climate Research Lab will host an intern for 12 months to develop a GIS- and web-based visualization tool that will allow local farmers to explore the spatiotemporal changes in rainfall patterns for the entire province of PEI as well as for individual farmlands.
The Wind Energy Institute of Canada will host an intern for six months to support the site’s research program in collecting, processing, and analyzing data from the meteorological towers and other site infrastructure. Analysis of data will provide insight into the impact of climate change on wind turbine power production.
The Province of Prince Edward Island will host five interns in the departments of Agriculture and Land, Education and Lifelong Learning, Social Development and Housing, and Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy.
