Adaptation and climate resilience

Strengthening our communities to thrive in a changing climate

The impacts of climate change can already be felt in Canada. From rising temperatures to eroding coastlines to severe droughts, floods and wildfires, climate change poses significant risks to our health and well-being, our economy and communities and to our natural environment.

That is why we are taking action to adapt and strengthen our communities. To maintain our health and wellbeing – and the prosperity of future generations – we must prepare for the effects of climate change. The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories through the Pan-Canadian Framework to ensure we are successful. We will also move forward with robust, meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples. We will take into account the unique circumstances and opportunities of Indigenous Peoples, and northern, remote, and vulnerable communities.

Science, information and collaboration will be critical to our adaptation plans. The Government of Canada will work with provinces and territories to establish a Canadian centre for climate services to make information about the impacts of climate change more widely available to Canadians, so that informed strategies can be developed.

We must also strengthen our infrastructure. With the provinces and territories, we will develop building codes to increase the resilience of our buildings and invest in infrastructure that protects Canadians from climate-related disasters. In addition, natural infrastructure can help reduce the impacts of climate change. For example, wetlands can buffer communities from flooding, trees can cool cities during heat-waves and natural shorelines can protect against sea-level rise.

The Government has committed to investing $21.9 billion in green infrastructure over 11 years including support for climate change adaptation and building resilient communities, as well as to reduce emissions.

The World Health Organization has also identified climate change as the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. Our government will take action to address negative effects on the health of Canadians, including heat-related illness and infectious diseases, such as Lyme disease. The Government of Canada will also provide support for Indigenous communities to protect their public health from climate change impacts.

Some regions in Canada are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This includes the North and the country’s coasts. We will work with Indigenous Peoples and territorial governments to build resilience in the North, in part through developing a northern adaptation strategy. We will work with provinces and territories to identify coastal and marine vulnerabilities, and improve ocean forecasting to make better decisions about our fisheries, oceans, and coastal infrastructure in the face of climate change.

Indigenous Peoples can be disproportionately affected by natural disasters. Therefore, the federal government, in partnership with provinces and territories, will work with Indigenous communities to address climate impacts, including the repeated and severe impacts of flooding, forest fires, and winter road failures.

We know our world is warming and we know the impacts are real. Canada will take action now to strengthen our response to these impacts and to protect our communities.