Moving from research into action on issues of climate change for a Canadian community: integration of sciences into decision making.

Climate change will impact the community of Greater Sudbury, particularly increasing pressures on water quality and quantity. This was one of the main conclusions of studies such as the Case Study on Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Potential Adaptations (2005-2007). This led to the development of the Climate Change Position Paper, “Positioning the Nickel District Conservation Authority (NDCA) within the City of Greater Sudbury in a Future Climate and the creation of a consortium which was officially endorsed by the City of Greater Sudbury in 2009. This paper examines the process (from the research to knowledge transfer and public engagement) and the steps that have been taken by this community to integrate climate change scenarios and impacts data to find responses to better adapt to climate change. I discuss some of the prerequisites that have been the basis for the use of this stakeholders approach to climate change adaptation in this community. To be successful, it is clear that communities should first assess the levels of awareness, social acceptability, governance structure and power relations before moving ahead.