Aboriginal and northern communities face many challenges including managing the impacts of a changing climate, addressing the high and often fluctuating costs of energy, and promoting sustainable development that balances consideration of environmental, social and economic well-being. Aboriginal and Northern communities in Canada are particularly susceptible to these challenges due to factors such as remoteness and inaccessibility, cold climate, aging and inefficient infrastructure, and reliance on emissions-intensive and polluting diesel fuel systems for electricity production.

Many Aboriginal and northern communities are monitoring and addressing the effects of climate change to increase their resilience and adaptive capacities to the changing climate and are developing and implementing renewable energy projects to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) is committed to working with Aboriginal and northern communities across Canada through its current Climate Change Programs to address both short-term and long-term climate change adaptation and energy-related issues.

Current Climate Change Programs

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC's) Climate Change Programs play an important role in assisting Aboriginal and northern communities in adapting to the effects of a changing climate and in developing sustainable forms of energy that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Climate Change Adaptation Program
2. ecoENERGY for Aboriginal and Northern Communities Program

Past Climate Change Programs

• The Aboriginal and Northern Climate Change Program (ANCCP) operated from 2001 until 2003.
• The Aboriginal and Northern Community Action Program (ANCAP) operated from 2003 until 2007.
• The ecoENERGY for Aboriginal and Northern Communities Program first operated from 2007 until 2011.

In This Section

In the sidebar on the right side of this page, you will find information on:

• Climate Change Science and Adapting to Climate Change including information about the Climate Change Adaptation Program that is helping communities plan and adapt to climate change.
• The ecoENERGY for Aboriginal and Northern Communities Program that is working with Aboriginal and northern communities to develop and implement renewable energy projects, with additional information on Clean Energy Technologies and Aboriginal and Northern Off-Grid Communities .
• The Success Stories Publications that highlight successful community adaptation and renewable energy projects.