Why sound planning for floods and wildfires isn’t junk science

The Canadian Climate Institute responds to claims that its 'Close to Home' report relies on 'guesswork,' asserting that its risk modelling uses data from The Co-operators and SwissRe and focuses on near-term risks. The Institute argues that failing to account for flood and wildfire exposure in housing development could increase private and public costs by $3 billion annually. It emphasizes that better land-use planning and risk information empower market participants to make informed decisions, addressing a market failure where insurance and property values misprice risk. The document notes that 2024 saw record insured losses of over $8.9 billion in Canada due to severe weather, including events in Quebec, Toronto, and Jasper, and maintains that climate change is increasing the area burned by wildfires.

• The 'Close to Home' report utilizes risk models from The Co-operators and SwissRe and employs conservative assumptions, with flood projections using a ten-year horizon and wildfire projections based on current climate conditions.
• Continuing to build homes without considering exposure to floods and wildfires could result in annual private and public cost increases of up to $3 billion, although only a small proportion of new homes are located in high-risk areas.
• A lack of access to risk data leads to a market failure where municipal approvals, property values, and insurance premiums do not accurately reflect actual exposure.
• Insured losses from severe weather in Canada exceeded $8.9 billion in 2024, the highest on record, with significant contributions from wildfires in Jasper and flooding in Toronto and Quebec.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2025). Why sound planning for floods and wildfires isn’t junk science. https://climateinstitute.ca/why-sound-planning-floods-wildfires-isnt-junk-science/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Why sound planning for floods and wildfires isn’t junk science. 2025. https://climateinstitute.ca/why-sound-planning-floods-wildfires-isnt-junk-science/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Why sound planning for floods and wildfires isn’t junk science |date=20 June 2025 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/why-sound-planning-floods-wildfires-isnt-junk-science/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianclimateinstitute2025why, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Why sound planning for floods and wildfires isn’t junk science}}, publisher = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/why-sound-planning-floods-wildfires-isnt-junk-science/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }