Vulnerability of the Grape and Wine Industry to Climate Change

The purpose of this thesis is to assess the vulnerability of the grape and wine industry in the Okanagan Valley, B.C. to climate change. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with producers to document the past and current conditions to which producers are sensitive and their ability to adapt to these risks. The findings suggest that weather is one among many important factors affecting the operation. The weather conditions to which producers are more vulnerable are not those that restrict crop production, but rather those that affect producer's ability to be successful in the marketplace, because producers have a limited capacity to adapt to these. The availability of water will also influence producers' vulnerability because the industry is reliant on irrigation. The findings stress the importance of considering various forces simultaneously rather than in isolation, because conditions that are not inherently risky may become so when expressed through other risks.