CLOSING CANADA’S ADAPTATION GAP

The document identifies a 'national adaptation gap' in Canada, characterized by fragmented governance, insufficient funding, and a lack of clear goals. It proposes that the forthcoming National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) should prioritize risks, implement a two-stage policy approach (immediate federal actions followed by a comprehensive national plan by 2024), clarify inter-jurisdictional roles, and establish a transparent monitoring and evaluation framework.

• Canada suffers from a 'national adaptation gap' where the country is unprepared for a volatile climate, evidenced by critical infrastructure's inability to withstand unprecedented conditions and inadequate emergency management resources.
• The economic cost of weather-related disasters in Canada has risen sharply, with the average cost per event increasing from $8.3 million in the 1970s to $112 million in the 2010s, representing a 1,250 per cent increase.
• Adaptation funding is insufficient; between 2017 and 2021, federal funding for adaptation was only 13 per cent of all climate change-related spending. In British Columbia's 2022 budget, only 1 per cent of the $1.2 billion CleanBC funding was dedicated to adaptation.
• The document identifies four primary barriers to adaptation progress in Canada: a lack of clear national goals, an absence of concrete policy actions, decentralized and uncoordinated governance, and a lack of progress tracking and accountability.
• The proposed National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) should follow a two-stage implementation process: first, immediate federal actions for 2023-2025, and second, a comprehensive national adaptation plan finalized by 2024 covering 2025-2030.
• Effective adaptation governance requires the federal government to lead in specific areas such as producing flood hazard mapping, developing national codes and standards, and establishing conditions for federal infrastructure funding.
• A robust monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for the NAS must measure both the status of policy implementation (outputs) and the actual adaptation outcomes against stated goals, potentially supported by a legislated reporting mandate.

APA

Ness, R., & Miller, S. (n.d.). CLOSING CANADA’S ADAPTATION GAP. Canadian Climate Institute. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/closing-canada-s-adaptation-gap.pdf

Chicago

Ness, Ryan, and Sarah Miller. CLOSING CANADA’S ADAPTATION GAP. Canadian Climate Institute, n.d. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/closing-canada-s-adaptation-gap.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ness |first1=Ryan |last2=Miller |first2=Sarah |title=CLOSING CANADA’S ADAPTATION GAP |publisher=Canadian Climate Institute |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/closing-canada-s-adaptation-gap.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nessndclosing, author = {Ness, Ryan and Miller, Sarah}, title = {{CLOSING CANADA’S ADAPTATION GAP}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/closing-canada-s-adaptation-gap.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }