From Wildfires to Trade Corridors: Climate Resilience as an Economic Strategy

The Canadian Climate Institute asserts that escalating climate risks threaten Canada's trade infrastructure and economic stability. The document highlights the severe economic toll of climate-driven events, citing a projected cost of $25 billion to the economy in 2025, and advocates for treating climate-resilient infrastructure as a project of national interest to safeguard long-term wealth creation.

• Climate-driven events are causing a significant increase in economic losses in Canada. In 2024, insured property damages totaled $8.5 billion, which is twelve times the annual average of $700 million recorded between 2000 and 2010. Additionally, uninsured losses are typically double the amount of insured damages.
• The economic cost of climate change in Canada is projected to rise sharply without adaptation. The cost reached $25 billion in 2025, representing half a year's GDP growth. This is projected to increase to between $78 billion and $101 billion by 2050, and between $391 billion and $865 billion by 2100.
• Investment in climate adaptation provides a high return on investment, with every $1 spent on key adaptation measures preventing $15 in GDP losses.
• Extreme flooding in British Columbia in 2021, which was 60% more likely due to climate change, caused national economic shocks by severing major routes between the Port of Vancouver and the rest of Canada, including damage to the Coquihalla Highway at over 20 locations.
• The document recommends three specific actions for the Canadian government: identifying at-risk critical trade infrastructure (such as the Chignecto Isthmus or B.C. Lower Mainland), allocating a portion of the $5 billion Trade Corridor Diversification Corridor Fund to resilience, and setting technical requirements for new infrastructure to ensure climate resilience.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2025). From Wildfires to Trade Corridors: Climate Resilience as an Economic Strategy. https://climateinstitute.ca/from-wildfires-to-trade-corridors-climate-resilience-economic-strategy/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. From Wildfires to Trade Corridors: Climate Resilience as an Economic Strategy. 2025. https://climateinstitute.ca/from-wildfires-to-trade-corridors-climate-resilience-economic-strategy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=From Wildfires to Trade Corridors: Climate Resilience as an Economic Strategy |date=21 August 2025 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/from-wildfires-to-trade-corridors-climate-resilience-economic-strategy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianclimateinstitute2025from, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{From Wildfires to Trade Corridors: Climate Resilience as an Economic Strategy}}, publisher = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/from-wildfires-to-trade-corridors-climate-resilience-economic-strategy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }