The federal government is one step closer to releasing Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy, a blueprint for the country to mitigate the climate crisis.
This week, the Liberal government released a 44-page report titled Preparing for Climate Change, a discussion paper that explores the wide-ranging effects of climate change on Canada.
According to the report, its creation was the result of consultation with experts, government officials, and Indigenous representatives. Feedback from the public will help determine the country’s National Adaptation Strategy, set to be released by the end of 2022.
Canada’s climate is already warming two times faster than the global average, a number that increases to three times faster in the North.
The report pointed to the ongoing catastrophic flooding in Manitoba, as well as the 49.5 degree record heat that resulted in wildfires across Lytton and other British Columbian communities, as recent extreme weather events that are likely to become more frequent over the coming decades.
Just as concerning is the warming temperatures in the North that are causing reliability and supply issues for fuel, food, and building material.
The report also lays out the intersections of climate impact on “emergency services, food production, housing and infrastructure, ecosystems, human health, supply chains and national security.”
With the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, Canadians are also at increased risk of heat-related illnesses and vector-borne diseases.
The report also documented the economic consequences of failing to mitigate the climate crisis, noting that “costs related to recovery after the fact are growing at an almost exponential rate.”
The discussion paper laid bare that Indigenous communities are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, through lower socio-economic outcomes and the legacy of colonization that forced Indigenous people to move from traditional territories onto reserve lands that are more likely to face flooding or fire.
“The Strategy will set transformational 2050 goals to provide a national destination for climate-resilience,” the report reads. “It will include 2030 objectives to ensure accountability and progress in the right direction, and 5-year action plans.”
The report indicates the federal government is collecting public feedback on subjects related to personal impacts of climate change, from flooding and sea-level rises to heatwaves and wildfires.
Additionally, the Strategy is looking for feedback from Canadians on what they consider the biggest risks that climate change poses to people living in the country, as well as any suggestions or recommendations on how Canada should be better prepared for climate change.
Extreme weather events in 2021 cost $2.1 billion in insured damages
In a statement issued Monday, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault explained that the Adaptation Strategy will help create a plan that assures vulnerable communities aren’t left to fall through the cracks.
“For someone like me, who has spent decades fighting to raise awareness and stop the pollution that causes climate change, adapting to the many impacts of our changing climate feels like fighting a two-front war,” Guilbeault said. “We can and we must do both mitigation and adaptation—play both offence and defence—for a complete effort.”
Extreme weather events aren’t just devastating to people, communities, and livelihoods, but also the economy. The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported that in 2021 alone, $2.1 billion was reported in insured damages, with $102 million associated with the Lytton fires and $500 million for a July hailstorm in Calgary. According to the Bureau, uninsured losses are estimated to be closer to $4 billion in 2021.
The country’s adaptation strategy comes as new data from the World Meteorological Organization shows greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification all hit new highs in 2021. Making matters worse, extreme weather events have resulted in “hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses,” while also being a main contributor to food and water insecurity as well as displacement.
“Global mean sea level reached a new record high in 2021, rising an average of 4.5 mm per year over the period 2013–2021,” the report reads.
In a press conference on Wednesday that unveiled the WMO study, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the findings “a dismal litany of humanity’s failure to tackle climate disruption.”
“Every country, city and citizen, every financial institution, company and civil society organization has a role to play,” Guterres said. “But most of all, it’s time for leaders—private and public alike—to stop talking about renewables as a distant project of the future. Because without renewables, there can be no future.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Guilbeault pointed to the urgency in which the country needs to respond to mitigate further climate-related harms.
“As the World Meteorological Organization’s report makes clear, standing still is not an option,” Guilbeault said. “Smart climate action will create and support middle class jobs, protect our homes and communities, and keep Canadian workers on the leading edge in a net-zero emissions and resilient economy.”
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
