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Canadians and Quebecers are experiencing the impacts of climate change more and more. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events (floods, droughts, storms, forest fires, heatwaves, etc.) are impacting our homes, our infrastructures, our farm yields and our ecosystems (decline and migration of certain species, etc.). To address these major disruptions, climate adaptation has become a priority at all levels.
🌊 What is climate adaptation?
Climate adaptation is a series of actions and strategies to adapt in order to make our communities less vulnerable and more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
The urgent need for adaptation
The consequences could be disastrous if we do not take action now to adapt our societies to climate change:
- Drought and flooding could destroy agricultural crops and create food shortages.
- Increasingly violent storms could flood more homes and neighbourhoods.
- Increasingly frequent forest fires, heatwaves and floods could cause more deaths and health issues.
- Climate disruptions could cause the disappearance of some animals and plants if they cannot survive the new climate conditions of their region, or could cause them to migrate to new regions – with potentially significant consequences.
To protect people, ecosystems and infrastructure from the ravages of extreme weather events brought on by climate change, countries, communities and individuals must adapt and become more adept at anticipating risks.
How are Canada and Quebec adapting?
What governments are doing
In Quebec and Canada, some climate adaptation plans and strategies have been implemented, such as the National Adaptation Strategy at the federal level. Quebec doesn’t currently have an official climate change adaptation strategy, but the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy contains several key adaptation measures. Quebec also has a number of support programs for municipalities, as well as climate resilience initiatives and ecosystem protection measures.
The municipalities play a crucial role in implementing climate adaptation measures. As local governments, they are intimately aware of the needs of their region and its citizens, and they provide the emergency services that are essential to victims of severe weather events. They also have the authority to act directly on land development, infrastructure and natural resource management.
👍 Proactive municipalities
Several Quebec municipalities are already actively engaged in adaptation and resilience strategies, like the City of Montreal with its Climate Plan (2020-2030), Quebec City with its Climate Transition and Action Plan 2021-2025 and the cities of Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières and Gatineau.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach for Canada or Quebec. Each community is facing specific challenges which call for its own specific adaptation measures. What is certain, however, is that we need to rethink how we inhabit our land, how we get around, and how our food systems work.
Some concrete examples of climate adaptation
- Green infrastructure: Nature-based solutions such as planting trees, installing green roofs and restoring wetlands to reduce the risk of flooding.
For example: Since 2022, the City of Montreal has built seven sponge parks, like the one at Place des Fleurs-de-Macadam (Quebec’s very first sponge park), and 800 sponge sidewalks. What’s a sponge sidewalk? It’s a sidewalk designed to absorb rainwater and prevent flooding. It is made of porous materials that allow the water to soak into the soil rather than accumulate on the surface.
- Urban planning: Prohibit construction in flood-prone areas, reduce the space occupied by mineralized surfaces (covered by such materials as asphalt, concrete, pavement or gravel) and add vegetation and trees in urban communities to reduce the effects of heat islands.
For example: The plans for the future Quebec City tramway call for the greening and revegetation of the routes, as well as planting 1,200 trees.
- Construction of more resistant buildings and infrastructure: Design and build more durable and resilient buildings and infrastructure, using more resilient materials, with plant covered roofs, for instance. Green roofs soak up rainwater and provide thermal insulation.
For example: There’s a green roof on the campus of the Université de Montréal.
- Evolving agricultural practices: Prioritize drought/heat-resistant crops and adapt planting seasons to the new climate conditions to help plants survive and grow.
For example: Bean crops are more resistant to the new climate conditions in Quebec, and are becoming increasingly popular.
“For every dollar invested today in adaptation measures in Canada there will be long-term savings of $13 to $15.”
Climate inaction costs us dearly
Failing to act, or taking too little action to address the climate crisis generates massive economic costs (material damages, infrastructure degradation, agricultural losses, etc.). The longer we wait to take measures to mitigate climate change, the higher these costs will be.
Due to the increasing frequency of natural disasters, insurance premiums continue to go up. Certain particularly high-risk areas are even becoming uninsurable, leaving communities without financial protection in the event of devastating climate events.
Our governments have the power, the responsibility and the financing to put ambitious, impactful adaptation plans and strategies in place. Unfortunately, however, existing funding to municipalities to help them implement adaptation plans and initiatives to deal with extreme weather events is insufficient, which is slowing down the adaptation process.
Mitigation vs. adaptation
Though indispensable to limiting the damages caused by the climate crisis, adaptation alone cannot limit its effects. We must also continue to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is the primary cause of climate change, in order to curtail the future impacts of the climate crisis. The consequences of climate change will still be felt, but by reducing pollution we can try to stop these consequences from getting worse.
If fossil fuels remain central to our economy, climate change will continue to worsen and natural disasters will become increasingly routine and devastating. Our governments have the responsibility to protect us and to implement ambitious measures to prevent the climate crisis from worsening. We must regulate fossil industries and adapt our way of life across the country to limit the consequences of climate change.
A few measures to help reduce emissions:
Prioritize renewable energy
by lowering our dependence on fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) in favour of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, hydro-electricity).
Transition to active and public transportation
by developing mass transit and active transportation projects, like building bike paths and pedestrian areas.
Capping emissions from the oil and gas sector
Stop public funding of the oil and gas industry
and redirect these funds to measures that combat climate change.
Climate mitigation and adaptation go hand in hand - they are both essential in responding to the challenges posed by the climate crisis.
This team effort requires innovation, collaboration and long term dedication. It requires political ambition to involve all segments of the population in coming up with solutions to the crisis that will adequately address our communities’ needs and will be compatible with a just and sustainable transition.
Analyst, Climate and Energy policy