The cost of climate change on mining roads

The Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) of the Yukon Research Centre was awarded $122,502 from Natural Resources Canada to lead a cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options for a mine access road in the Northwest Territories.  This project will help the NCE take climate change adaptation planning to a new level for industry.

NCE is working with a multi-disciplinary team from Risk Sciences International, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Nodelcorp, to study the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter ice road.  This road provides access to three active mines in the Northwest Territories and is one of the longest and heavily used ice roads in the world.

“Climate Change is a reality for Canada’s north and adaptation planning needs to incorporate the financial costs in order to help communities and industry prepare for change”, said Lacia Kinnear, Manager, Northern Climate ExChange. “The Northern Climate ExChange team looks forward to expanding our services to our new partners in the Northwest Territories”, said Kinnear.

Over the past decade, the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter ice road has experienced early ice break-up in the spring.  A shortened season is very costly to the mining companies who depend on this road for transportation.

This project will analyze the costs of adapting to climate change, which provides the information needed to make economically sound decisions. This project will also provide a tested methodology that will inform future adaptation cost-benefit analyses with other types of infrastructure like runways, buildings, etc.

“Expanding northern research is a strategic goal at Yukon College and our leadership in climate change research is being recognized across Canada’s North”, said Dr. Karen Barnes, President, Yukon College.

Researchers have already begun a vulnerability assessment and will identify adaptation options for the ice road. In the summer of 2014, researchers will conduct a cost-benefit analysis on key adaptations and the results will be compiled into a report by March 2015.

This project is funded by Natural Resources Canada through the Adaptation Platform’s Mining Working Group, with support from Government of Yukon through the Pan Territorial Adaptation Partnership

For more information on this project, please visit the project description on the YRC website.

The Northern Climate ExChange is one of seven key programs at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC). The other six include: Biodiversity Monitoring, Cold Climate Innovation, NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Mine Life Cycle, Technology Innovation, Science Adventures, and Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic. Core funding for the Yukon Research Centre is provided by Yukon Education and Yukon Economic Development.