The provincial government announced a new program Thursday, a climate resilience measurement framework. The program is intended to help measure how the province is adapting to and handling climate change.

“This is a first of its kind in Canada in terms of having a resilience framework, so these will be measurements, there’s 25 measurements, we will be providing on an annual basis an update to the public in terms of these 25 areas,” said Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan when introducing the framework.

The plan builds upon the province’s Prairie Resilience program announced a year ago, added Duncan. The prairie resilience strategy committed to reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions in the province by 12 million tonnes by 2030.

“We’ve set the 25 now, but that’s not to say in the future we might develop different measurements, or better measurements, as we collect more data, have more information, and see the ongoing effects of climate change but these are the 25 that we’re going to move forward with on an ongoing basis,” Duncan continued.

Some of the specific measures of the framework outlined by Duncan include a nutrient stewardship plan for agricultural producers to ensure the right source and rate of fertilizers are used at the right time, as well as a look at greenhouse gas emissions from government-owned buildings. Another key part of the program will be a look at communities which are prone to flooding.

“How many have floodplain mapping which is up to date?” asked Duncan. “So that will be an ongoing measurement that we will be looking at. We want to be looking at communities that have emergency preparedness plans. Are they up to date plans?”

The overall goal of the program will be to measure how well natural systems, infrastructure, the economy and the well-being of people will adapt to a low carbon economy as well as changing environmental conditions.