Launch of Climate Change Centre

Meinhard Doelle, executive director of Clean Nova Scotia, today announced a new province-wide effort to raise awareness about climate change.

The new Climate Change Action Centre was launched this morning, June 6, in Dartmouth as part of Clean Air Day. The centre will work to support public outreach and education activities undertaken by various groups across the province.

“The end goal of this project is to motivate Nova Scotians to take personal action on climate change,” said Mr. Doelle.

The Climate Change Action Centre is funded by the Government of Canada Climate Change Action Fund, along with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Nova Scotia Power.

“Public education is vital if we are to address climate change," said George Foote, research officer with Natural Resources. “The centre will work to increase our understanding of climate change and will provide us with examples of actions we can take at home, at work, and on the road.”

A steering committee, made up of environmental, government and business interests, chose Clean Air Day to launch the new centre in order to highlight the connection between global climate change and local air-pollution problems.

“Our research shows that people in Nova Scotia are concerned about climate change, but they are not quite certain about what they can do to address it,” said Mr. Doelle. “The Climate Change Centre will help groups across Nova Scotia to determine what needs to be done.”

The centre also released its directory of Nova Scotia climate- change education projects this morning. This is the first such survey ever done in the province, listing more than 20 projects on such diverse issues as transportation, sustainable agriculture and residential energy efficiency, and activities of groups such as GPI Atlantic, the Nova Scotia Lung Association, TRAX and the Annapolis Valley Homebuilders Association.

“Public education about climate change and what we, as individuals, can do is an important first step to developing a made-in-Nova Scotia action plan on climate change,” said Mr. Doelle.

Canada’s 2000 domestic action plan on climate change encourages the establishment of public-education centres. The Nova Scotia Climate Change Centre is one of the first in the country to be launched.