Adaptation to climate change

In Canada and abroad, the effects of climate change are becoming evident. Impacts such as coastal erosion; thawing permafrost; increases in heat waves; droughts and flooding; ecosystem changes; and risks to critical infrastructure; and food and water security are already being felt in Canada and globally. So, we need to adapt – make adjustments in our activities and decisions in order to reduce risks, moderate harm or take advantage of new opportunities.

For example, we know that Canada will experience extreme weather events more frequently, like the 2017 and 2019 flooding in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, where many public servants live and work. We need to ensure that Canadians still have access to government services, programs and initiatives during those kinds of events.

Under the Greening Government Strategy federal government departments have committed to:

• take action to understand the wide range of climate change impacts that could potentially affect federal assets, services and operations across the country;
• develop measures to reduce climate change risks to assets, services and operations;
• adopt climate-resilient building codes being developed by National Research Council Canada; and
• increase training and support on assessing climate change impacts, undertaking climate change risk assessments and developing adaptation actions to public service employees

For the Canadian Council of Academies report identifying the top climate change risks facing both Canada and the federal government, and their relative significance, see Canada’s Top Climate Change Risks.

For more information about how and why Canada’s climate has changed and what changes are projected for the future, see Canada’s Changing Climate Report.

For climate data, visit ClimateData.ca, an information portal that enables Canadians to access, visualize, and analyze climate data, and provides related information and tools to support adaptation planning and decision-making.

For more information about climate change impacts and adaptation across different regions and sectors in Canada, visit Natural Resources Canada.