2. Climate Action

2.1 Climate and Security

Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity. It is systemic and impacts all aspects of society. The Defence Team must look at climate change as both an environmental sustainability and security challenge.

As a result of climate change, Canadians are experiencing more extreme weather, such as heavy rain, hurricanes, heatwaves, tornadoes and droughts. These events are becoming more frequent and intense, which is a concern for all Canadians. It also has important implications for the Defence Team as the CAF is increasingly called on for humanitarian support. We must also adapt our military infrastructure and equipment for a changing climate.

Climate change influences social, economic and geopolitical tensions. It changes physical landscapes and puts critical infrastructure and supply chains at risk. Globally, we are seeing climate change contribute to resource scarcity, increased geopolitical competition, the loss of livelihoods and population displacement.

In Canada and around the world, climate change can increase existing challenges and threats, and contribute to instability.

Under this climate action theme, we will continue to explore the impacts of climate change on defence opera-tions and the steps we can take to address these challenges. To build resilience and maintain an effective and ready military force, we are committed to understanding, adapting to, mitigating, and engaging on the impacts of climate change and an evolving security environment.

National Security Implications of Climate Change

2.2 Climate Implications on Security

Climate change has immediate and long-term implications for National Defence. These pressures are being felt both at home and abroad.

2.2.1 Implications at home

Domestic disaster relief

The CAF is often relied on to respond to climate-related disasters in communities across Canada. Under Operation (Op) LENTUS, the CAF can be called on to assist provincial and territorial authorities when their own resources are insufficient to respond to a major disaster.

As the frequency and severity of such events increase, demands on the CAF are growing and risk reducing the CAF's readiness for other requirements.

Between 1990 and 2010, there were only six deployments under Op LENTUS, while from 2011 to 2020 there were 30, with a drastic increase of 11 in 2021-2022 alone. With climate-related disasters on the rise, this trend is only expected to continue.

OP LENTUS events from 2010-2015 and 2016-2021

Being resilient means the Defence Team must be able to respond to emergencies when needed. This means balancing domestic demands while preserving the CAF’s ability to support operations abroad. To ensure readiness, we must be able to adapt to the impacts of climate change. As such, we are working with Public Safety Canada on the future of Canada’s domestic emergency response capacity. This includes collaborating with federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments, nonprofit organizations and private sector partners to strengthen Canada’s resilience and enhance its disaster response capacity.

Impacts on CAF operations

Climate change affects all CAF operational environments and needs to be considered in planning and training. More acidic sea water can increase the corrosion of naval ships. Heat waves can decrease air density and reduce the lift force on an aircraft's wings, while changing jet streams can increase fuel consumption. Dry areas increase the risk of wildfires and can alter training plans. Changing conditions can also degrade the performance of military equipment, increasing maintenance and replacement timelines.

Climate change impacts defence infrastructure, particularly our coastal and arctic properties, resulting in potential repercussions for Defence activities, readiness and operations. These impacts can include changes to land access and logistics, threats to personnel health, property damage, reduced value of assets, potential loss of equipment, disruptions to local utilities and critical infrastructure, and increased operating costs for real property.

Whether purchasing new equipment, or building new infrastructure, we will consider the impact of climate change as we continue to strengthen our climate resilience.

In the Arctic

Climate change is altering Canada’s landscape, especially in the Arctic and the North, which is warming at four times the global rate. The Arctic accounts for 40% of Canada’s total landmass and 75% of our coastlines. This presents unique challenges for climate resilience and security.

Thawing permafrost poses risks to military infrastructure and operations. As the Arctic warms, sea ice melts and the region becomes more accessible, we expect to see a rise in commercial activity, tourism and scientific research. We may also see an increased need for search and rescue activities.

As access to the region grows, strategic competitors are demonstrating increasingly assertive behaviour as they seek to advance their interests in the region. These states are increasingly employing all elements of national power to collect intelligence and position themselves to access or control sensitive sites, infrastructure, and strategic resources – sometimes under the guise of peaceful commercial or research activities. In response to these challenges, Canada must have the ability to detect, deter and defend against a broad range of threats.

Through our engagements with communities in the North and Arctic, territorial governments and Indigenous peoples have expressed concerns about the challenges posed by climate change and the shifting geopolitical context, illustrating the need to advance our shared priorities.

The Defence Team is taking a distinctions-based approach to engagements with northern, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments and organizations. We recognize their unique interests, priorities, and circumstances as we continue to build relationships and listen to their priorities. This sets the stage for ongoing discussions as Canada and the United States modernize the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). As NORAD modernization progresses, we are committed to delivering defence capabilities relevant to and inclusive of all Canadians and underpinned by meaningful dialogue with our Arctic and northern partners.

Health and the CAF

Climate change has health implications that can affect how the CAF trains and deploys. For example, heatwaves or smoke from wildfires can place limitations on outdoor training. Precautions are also needed to address risks from invasive species, such as poisonous plants and ticks as their range expands.

In addition to physical threats, responding to more frequent climate-related disasters can lead to decreased morale and increased psychological stress, as CAF members are exposed to human suffering and the possibility of longer deployments and more time away from family and loved ones.

Climate change impacts everyone’s health. With many knowns and unknowns, our Defence Team must have the ability to identify, adapt and reduce risks to ensure mission success. We will continue to study how it affects the health and well-being of our personnel.

2.2.2 Implications abroad

Human security

A significant component of the security landscape at home and around the world is linked to understanding how climate change affects the lives of people and influences social, political and economic systems. It is important to understand how climate change intersects with human security around the world and the implications for the Defence Team.

As the planet continues to warm, the effects of climate change will increase with severe and direct implications for international security. Fragile states are at a higher risk, as they are more vulnerable and often lack the resources to adapt to the effects of climate change. Climate stressors, such as those driving food and water scarcity and loss of livelihoods, risk overwhelming already weak and fragile regions, which could contribute to human displacement within states or across borders. The impact of climate change on human security is an important consideration in the security landscape, one that influences and challenges our understanding of deterrence and our national response.

Public health abroad

Climate change has serious implications for the wellbeing of people around the world, which can impact global security and worsen health risks. During extreme heatwaves, rising temperatures can put people’s health at risk. Climate change can also alter infectious disease patterns, cause more frequent outbreaks, and shift where they occur, driving novel infections.

Climate-related health impacts can compound other human security issues to create a cascading crisis. For example, zoonotic (animal to human) infectious diseases could mix with climate-induced migration patterns and resource scarcity to destabilize local governments and their response capacity. For the CAF, this may mean being called on to assist with evolving security matters brought on, or exacerbated, by overlapping climate change and public health issues.

Vulnerable communities and climate change

In Canada and other countries, the effects of climate change disproportionately impact the poorest and most marginalized communities, which include Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, women and girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Due to societal structures and systemic oppression, it is often difficult for marginalized groups to access the resources that can help protect them from climate change or allow them to adapt to its effects.

To help us better understand our increasingly complex world and respond to its challenges, we are committed to building a respectful and inclusive Defence Team that reflects the diversity of Canadians. To this end, we are committed to using GBA Plus to assess our policies, procurements, projects, plans, operations, and related peace and security activities.

Climate intelligence

The Defence Team is enhancing its climate intelligence assessments to focus on monitoring and early warnings in areas where CAF deployments are most likely to be impacted, such as the Middle East and Africa. Given the cross-cutting nature of climate change, the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command is working to integrate climate change considerations across all existing intelligence areas and products.

The Defence Team shares its climate intelligence with NATO and other federal government departments including the Privy Council Office, Global Affairs Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

2.3. National Defence’s Guiding Principles on Climate Action

The Defence Team has developed a set of principles and lines of effort to guide our actions to address climate change. These principles align our efforts with those of our allies and reflect commitments in NATO’s Climate Change and Security Action Plan.

2.4 Building Awareness

Building a climate change aware organization requires developing our own knowledge and understanding.

Investments in defence-focused science and technology research are needed to build awareness, create solutions and inform decision-making. This includes developing a better understanding of how climate change impacts global safety and security, defence operations and infrastructure, and other military activities.

To inform such investments, the National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability Science and Technology Strategy was created to assess science and technology gaps and identify potential research activities. This strategy will drive Defence-focused climate change and sustainability research to support activities that reduce our environmental impact and help us meet the growing challenges of climate change.

Whether on training or deployed on operations, increasing our awareness of climate change helps mitigate the impact of defence activities on the environment and improve adapting to a changing climate. Climate change and sustainability training is being integrated across the Defence Team.

2.4.1 Energy management training for deployed personnel

At home or abroad, energy management is an important issue. Whether for disaster relief operations or routine deployments, large amounts of fuel are needed. Reducing our dependence on fossil fuels during deployments, reduces our GHG emissions and operational costs and leads to tactical, operational and strategic benefits.

Through its Deployed Infrastructure Energy Management program, the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) is working to increase the energy efficiency of deployed infrastructure and mitigate operational impacts to the physical environment. CAF members are trained through this program before deploying abroad.

Target 1 – Provide energy efficiency training to deployed CAF members.

2.5 Adapting to Climate Change

Climate change adaptation is the process by which an organization or system becomes resilient to the impacts of climate change. This involves identifying potential climate impacts, assessing the vulnerability of a given system, and taking steps to minimize their severity.

Climate change impacts how we train, equip, deploy and operate. Events such as rising temperatures and sea levels, and varied precipitation can affect the CAF’s day-to-day operations. Adapting and training is essential for a ready defence force.

2.5.1 Understanding climate risks to infrastructure

Climate change poses significant risks to infrastructure. It is critical to adapt our real property planning and processes, while strengthening the resiliency of our portfolio. Identifying and implementing measures today will limit the impact of climate change on CAF operations and readiness as climate events increase in frequency and intensity.

To ensure Defence facilities are ready to withstand the impacts of climate change, we are taking a risk-based approach and conducting climate change vulnerability and risk assessments. Identifying these vulnerabilities and risks will allow us to identify measures to make our infrastructure portfolio more resilient.

Target 2 – Complete climate change risk assessments for 20% of critical real property assets by 2027.

2.5.2 Risks to military equipment

Climate change affects all Defence operating environments. Extreme temperatures and shifting conditions can degrade aircraft, vehicle and ship performance, increasing the need for maintenance and reducing their service life. To acquire and sustain equipment effectively, the Defence Team must therefore adapt to the effects of climate change.

Target – 3 – Develop a climate adaptation framework for military equipment and implement at least two other high-priority adaptation measures by 2027.

2.6 Mitigating Climate Change

The Defence Team will reduce its GHG emissions to help lessen the impacts of climate change. This will also help safeguard our operations. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and seeking efficiencies can provide numerous benefits such as simplifying logistics and reducing risks to military operations. As the largest user of energy and the single largest emitter of GHGs in the federal government, we play a key role in helping the GC reach its net-zero targets. Our climate change mitigation measures encompass net-zero real property and fleets, NSS emissions and procurement.

Target 4 – Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by 2025 from real property and the conventional light-duty fleet, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

2.6.1 Net-zero real property

The GC’s net-zero real property target is to reduce GHG emissions by 90% by 2050, relative to 2005 levels, with the remaining 10% to be offset using permanent carbon removal technologies. As the custodian of nearly half of the federal government’s real property portfolio, how Defence manages our buildings affects the GC’s climate change objectives. While 2050 may seem a distant target, many existing and new buildings will still be in use in 2050, so what we do today is critical to minimizing the life-cycle emissions of these properties.

To reach this target, we are integrating GHG reduction measures in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of our buildings. Further, all new buildings and major renovations are net-zero or net-zero ready through policies, such as our Green Building Directive. This directive requires that new construction projects include a GHG lifecycle cost analysis and consider the embodied carbon of structural materials. However, substantial investments in energy efficiencies and decarbonizing heating supplies will be necessary to achieve future targets. External factors, such as a sufficient supply of clean electricity from provincial grids will also be important to achieving a net-zero portfolio.

Our new Defence Real Property Portfolio Strategy will integrate net-zero objectives. Asset management is key to mitigating and adapting to climate change as it allows us to identify and prioritize our infrastructure investments. Energy efficient buildings reduce operating costs and emissions.

Base level net-zero emissions plans

Modern infrastructure and extensive data collection are needed to achieve a net-zero portfolio. As our infrastructure needs are unique to each military installation, we will work with industry to develop net-zero emissions plans tailored to each base. These plans will highlight opportunities to decarbonize and will support infrastructure planning and investment decisions.

Target 5 – 50% of bases and wings will have a net-zero emissions plan by 2027 to support infrastructure planning and investment decisions.

Green power purchase agreements

National Defence purchases clean electricity for our facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We are working with Public Services and Procurement Canada to ensure Nova Scotia’s Green Choice Program includes enough clean electricity to support Base Halifax and the future navy fleet.

We are also working on projects to generate clean electricity at our bases. For example, a solar power project at Base Gagetown is expected to cut the base’s electricity needs by 20% and reduce its GHG emissions by about 3,200 tonnes a year. We will continue to assess potential on-site green power generation at bases across the country to reduce emissions and enhance the resiliency of Defence operations.

Target 6 – Use 100% clean electricity, where available, by producing or purchasing renewable electricity by 2025.

Energy performance contracts

Reaching net-zero emissions requires us to invest in GHG emissions reductions. Implementing energy performance contracts (EPCs) at our bases and wings will play a key role in reducing emissions from our real property. EPCs minimize up-front costs to the taxpayer and guarantee that the upgrades produce real savings.

Through an EPC, a company is hired to pay for and carry out an energy retrofit project at a base. The money saved in energy costs is then used to pay the company back over a 5- to 15-year period. As of March 2023, we had implemented 18 EPCs at bases across Canada, reducing our GHG emissions by over 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) compared to 2005 levels. We will continue to assess our portfolio to determine where EPCs would help reduce fossil fuel emissions generated by heating Defence facilities.

Target 7 – Assess 100% of eligible bases and wings for an EPC and move 75% to the implementation phase by 2027.

Embodied carbon

Embodied carbon is the carbon associated with manufacturing construction materials, and it makes up a large part of lifecycle carbon emissions from construction projects. National Defence will work with Treasury Board Secretariat to implement the Standard on Embodied Carbon in Construction. Starting with concrete, and focused on structural building materials, we will disclose embodied carbon in new major capital construction projects, and in select minor capital projects by 2024. Defence will continue to test using low-carbon concrete in projects where feasible.

Net-zero residential buildings

Providing safe, comfortable and sustainable housing for CAF members and their families is a priority. Defence has developed a net-zero emissions design for multi-unit residential buildings. Going forward all new residential construction will be built to net-zero or net-zero ready standards. These buildings will be energy-efficient and powered by clean energy sources. With this initiative, Defence will be leading the way on sustainable residential construction projects.

Target 8 – All new residential construction will be net-zero emissions, or net-zero-emissions-ready, and at least 40% less energy intensive than buildings constructed to current code requirements.

2.6.2 A net-zero national safety and security fleet

Our NSS fleets are made up of marine vessels, tactical land vehicles and military aircraft, all of which will depend on fossil fuels for the near future. Emissions from these military fleets are an inevitable part of the CAF’s operations.

Our military fleets are responsible for approximately 70% of the federal government’s NSS fleet emissions. In fiscal year 2022-2023, 80% of the CAF’s NSS fleet emissions came from aircraft, 19% from marine vessels, and 1% from land vehicles.

Maintaining our military’s operational capability is imperative. While doing so, we will chart a course to reduce military fleet emissions and support the GC’s commitment of net-zero emissions by 2050. Net-zero NSS emissions by 2050 means reducing GHG emissions from our NSS fleet as low as possible through cleaner fuels and operational efficiencies. The balance of emissions would be addressed through carbon removal. To achieve a GC goal of 20% Low-Carbon Fuel (LCF) by 2030, we will introduce LCF into some of our fleets in the coming years. Any solutions for military application must consider availability, affordability, operational feasibility and compatibility to maintain military force readiness, interoperability with our Allies, inform future force design and ensure best value for Canadians. Decarbonization plans for our military marine and air fleets will be finalized by 2024, with land fleets to follow by 2027.

Target 9 - Support the GC commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 from the NSS fleet considering availability, affordability, compatibility, and operational feasibility.

Reducing fleet emissions on the water

Measuring energy use across our marine fleet is a key step to reducing fuel consumption and overall fleet emissions. We will measure energy use, assess ship hull innovations, and conduct research on energy model simulation and data frameworks.

Target 10 – Complete energy use evaluations for 3 types of vessels in the legacy and new RCN fleet to assess the impact of innovative hull coatings and in-water cleaning techniques by 2027.

Reducing fleet emissions on land

A decarbonization plan for our military land fleet will include evaluating options to reduce emissions such as fleet upgrades, alternative technologies and improvements to training activities, all while maintaining operational effectiveness and commitments.

Target 11 – Draft the Land Operational Fleet Decarbonization Plan by 2025 and finalize it by 2027.

Reducing fleet emissions in the sky

Most of the CAF’s fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions are from aircraft, many of which will still be in service in 2050 and beyond. To reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency as much as possible we will review policy, doctrine and operational procedures.

Target 12 – While maintaining operational effectiveness, review operational procedures to identify efficiencies that would reduce GHG emissions for a select number of aircraft in the RCAF national safety and security fleet by 2027.

Low-carbon fuels

The defence team is committed to introducing LCFs in our marine and air fleets. Using renewable diesel fuel in our marine fleet and sustainable aviation fuel in our aircraft will help us meet net-zero targets. As a member of NATO, Canada is committed to remaining interoperable with allied fleets, and this includes meeting standardized fuel requirements. The Defence Team has shared fuel performance and interoperability standards with industry professionals to ensure our fleets have access to LCFs as they become available in Canada.

Target 13 – Introduce low-carbon fuels in the RCN and RCAF NSS fleets where available, affordable, compatible, and operationally feasible by 2027.

Tracking fuel consumption of the NSS fleet

Reducing emissions from the NSS fleet requires effectively tracking and reporting our fuel consumption and emissions. Similar to systems used by our allies, we will implement an enterprise fuel management system to monitor fuel use at our bases. We will integrate smart fuel dispensers as a first phase in installing this new system.

Target 14 – Implement smart fuel dispensers as the first phase of an enterprise fuel management system to automatically capture and record fuel consumption from bulk fuel installations on bases by 2027.

2.7 Engaging Allies and Partners

Climate change contributes to regional tensions, human displacement, and societal inequalities, as well as competition for resources, such as food and water. Combined with other challenges (governance, geopolitical tensions, etc.), climate change can also contribute to conflict and instability, increasing demands for the CAF’s emergency support and contributions to peace and stability operations around the world.

The scale and complexity of climate change requires international collaboration to identify and address its impact on peace and security. We are committed to engaging internationally to better understand how climate change causes instability and prepare for and address challenges. That is why the Defence Team, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, has established the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence in Montréal, Que.

NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence

This centre of excellence will support NATO’s work on climate and security, provide Allies with a central location to exchange knowledge, develop effective responses to the security impacts of climate change, and provide a platform for outreach with diverse global actors. Recognizing the human security elements of climate change, Canada has encouraged NATO to take a multi-sectoral, feminist and intersectional approach to its work on climate change and security.