Canada’s Climate Adaptation Strategy Falls Short

According to a new report from Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco, Canada’s long-awaited plan to help communities prepare for the growing impacts of climate change is stumbling, sending warnings that the federal government has failed to design and implement an effective National Adaptation Strategy. 

Launched in 2023, the strategy came years behind other G7 nations who have already advanced multiple iterations of their own national plans. Canada committed $1.6 billion to implementation to act as a roadmap to protect people, infrastructure, and ecosystems from the worsening effects of climate change, such as the increasing intensity and occurrence of wildlife, floods, and other extreme weather events. 

Key failures identified by DeMarco, suggest that the new strategy did not prioritize Canada's top climate risks when setting objectives and targets and only established one of three core pillars since its release in 2023. To boast, several high-cost programs showed “minimal early actions” to the strategy’s goals, and rather than developing coherent new policy responses, departments continue to rely on existing programs. Accountability is lacking for the billions already allocated and the government has not yet assessed how the federal programs align with Indigenous-led climate strategies. 

As immediate climate risks continue to escalate, this report underscores that urgent attention is needed to achieve impactful action - Canada can no longer afford to think of climate change as a distant threat. Without a coordinated, risk- informed, science-backed, accountable national approach, billions may be spent without delivering real protection for Canadians or the environment.

Written by Sabrina Careri, for Ann Dale.

Vehicles submerged in floodwaters on Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway after a severe storm event, highlighting the growing impact of climate-related extreme weather. Photo source: Arlyn Mcadorey for CBC Radio