Charting Our Course

The report outlines the dual threats of physical climate impacts and global economic transitions facing Canada. It proposes a comprehensive framework that integrates health, wellness, and economic prosperity, moving beyond siloed mitigation and adaptation strategies. The document highlights existing sub-national policy successes and recommends that Canadian governments broaden their climate objectives, increase policy ambition, and leverage international leadership to ensure a resilient future.

• Canada faces significant physical risks from climate change, including sea-level rise threatening coastal cities, rising insurance premiums due to severe fires and floods, and severe impacts in the North such as thawing permafrost compromising infrastructure and food sources.
• The global transition to a low-carbon economy poses economic risks to Canada's export-heavy sectors, specifically oil, gas, and cement, as well as the automotive industry, which may see plant closures as demand shifts toward electric vehicles.
• Climate commitments in emerging economies are expected to create $23 trillion in investment opportunities between 2016 and 2030, offering Canada potential growth in its cleantech sector and raw material demand for mining and forestry.
• Canada has seen successful climate policy innovations at the sub-national level, including British Columbia's economy-wide carbon tax, Quebec's cross-border cap-and-trade system, and Ontario's phase-out of coal-fired power by 2014.
• The report recommends that Canadian governments move beyond narrow mitigation and adaptation targets to a broader policy design that links climate objectives directly to the welfare of Canadians and integrates multiple benefits.
• The document advocates for Canada to use its position in the G7, G20, and United Nations to influence global climate action and develop technologies that lower the cost of transition for other nations.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2020). Charting Our Course. https://climateinstitute.ca/reports/charting-our-course/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Charting Our Course. 2020. https://climateinstitute.ca/reports/charting-our-course/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Charting Our Course |date=15 January 2020 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/reports/charting-our-course/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2020charting, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Charting Our Course}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/reports/charting-our-course/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }