Take action to respond to climate impacts

We are working to ensure that Canadians understand the effects of climate change. We are helping them protect their families, homes, businesses, health and communities. We are making efforts to enhance the resilience of Indigenous Peoples and those in northern communities, and enable adaptation actions guided by Indigenous knowledge systems.

Across Canada, Canadians are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, and the science shows that these impacts are going to get worse. This is one of the reasons that the Government of Canada committed to develop Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy, by working with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, Indigenous Peoples, and other key partners.

At home

By taking appropriate actions, you can prepare for these impacts and protect your home and community. For example, flooding is expected to increase and there are many things you can do to become Flood Ready. Extreme weather and natural hazards pose risks to your health, but there are a number of steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Indigenous communities

Indigenous Peoples have a strong cultural and spiritual connection to the environment. While this increases their exposure and vulnerability to climate change, it is also a source of resilience.

A range of factors, including geographic location, historic marginalization, legal and institutional barriers and socio-economic factors mean that climate change disproportionately affects Indigenous Peoples. For example, Indigenous Peoples living in remote regions may be most impacted by extreme weather events, such as forest fires, flooding and storm surges.

Despite being among the most affected by climate change, Indigenous Peoples are active leaders of climate action who contribute vital knowledge, experience and leadership to adaptation efforts across Canada.

The ClimateTelling web portal creates awareness about climate change and the impacts on human health faced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada. To find out more about the actions we are supporting, visit Climate change in Indigenous and Northern communities.

Youth

Children and Youth have a strong role to play in responding to climate impacts. 

Wildfire

Home owners, industry players and governments have a responsibility to reduce the effects of wildland fire. FireSmart® Canada helps you understand how wildfires can affect your home and your community.

Early warnings

Early Warning Systems are critical to warning us about extreme weather. Public education and awareness are important to ensure that communities and individuals are able to understand warnings and act accordingly. Find out more at Alert Ready.

Extreme weather

Climate change and extreme weather affect every sector and industry in Canada. For example, climate change will affect how we travel by road, rail, air and water. Climate Risks & Adaptation Practices for the Canadian Transportation Sector 2016 discusses climate risks to the Canadian transportation sector, and identifies existing or potential adaptation practices.

Agriculture

Climate change can also affect agriculture, from individual plants and animals to entire global networks. The Managing Agroclimate Risk site has information about farm management practices that can help you to prepare and mitigate risk to your crops, livestock and land during a drought.

Cross-sectoral

Beyond the examples listed here, work is ongoing across multiple sectors to adapt to climate change. Find out more about some of this work by visiting the following links:

• Impacts and Adaptation Publications
• Library of Climate Resources

Healthy ecosystems and natural environment

Climate change is negatively affecting ecosystems. Warming temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events and changing patterns of rainfall and drought significantly affect biodiversity and nature. Species may not be able to adapt quickly enough to the changing environment. Even small changes can affect ecosystems and the services they provide. Learn more about biodiversity and climate change.

Climate change is impacting Canada’s coastal regions, including our fisheries, oceans and marine ecosystems. Find out more about these impacts and what we can do to adapt to them, on the following sites:

• Aquatic Climate Change Science and Action
• Canada’s Marine Coasts in a Changing Climate

Climate change also impacts Canada’s forests and forestry sector. Natural Resources Canada has a web page dedicated to climate impacts on forests. Here, you can learn more about these impacts and the actions we can take to make forests more resilient to these changes.

Canada’s parks and protected areas can help reduce the impacts of climate change. They do so in a number of ways, including:

• conserving biodiversity
• protecting ecosystem services
• connecting landscapes
• capturing and storing carbon
• building knowledge and understanding
• inspiring people

To achieve sustainable development, we need to conserve biodiversity and use our resources sustainably. A variety of groups and organizations across Canada are working to achieve this, including governments, Indigenous Peoples, businesses, conservation groups and individual Canadians. Their efforts seek to achieve ecological, economic, social and cultural sustainability.

Healthy and resilient ecosystems are needed to help us cope with and adapt to climate change. By conserving and restoring ecosystems, and sustainably managing all sectors of society, Canada’s interconnected ecosystems can provide natural resilience to climate change.