DUE NORTH: Facing the costs of climate change for Northern infrastructure

Northern Canada faces a double threat of inadequate existing infrastructure and a climate warming three times faster than the global average. Permafrost thaw is causing runways to warp, roads to collapse, and building foundations to crack. The report finds that while incremental adaptations like thermosyphons and embankment cooling can reduce costs, transformative adaptations—such as relocating infrastructure or leapfrogging to new technologies—are necessary for long-term resilience. The analysis highlights a significant 'infrastructure gap' rooted in colonial history, where many communities lack basic services like piped water and broadband internet, exacerbating the vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples.

• Northern Canada is warming at approximately three times the global average, with projected temperature increases of 3.5 to 6.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century under a high-emissions scenario.
• Permafrost thaw is causing significant structural damage to runways, roads, and buildings, with annual costs for runway damage alone projected to reach a median of $7 million by 2040.
• Winter road viability is declining rapidly; more than half of winter roads in the Northwest Territories could become unusable by 2050, and nearly all by 2080.
• Damage to all-season roads in Yukon and Northwest Territories represents a major financial burden, with projected annual costs in Yukon between $73 million and $85 million for the next two decades.
• Building damage costs across the North are projected to reach $38 to $76 million per year by the end of the century without adaptation.
• Incremental adaptations, such as thermosyphons for buildings and embankment cooling for roads, can reduce costs but may be insufficient under high-emissions scenarios where temperatures rise too high to prevent thawing.
• The 'Northern infrastructure gap' is characterized by severe shortages in housing, drinking water, telecommunications, and energy, with 80% of communities in Inuit Nunangat lacking piped water.
• Infrastructure vulnerability in the North is deeply linked to a legacy of colonialism and racism, where decisions are often made in Ottawa without meaningful input from Indigenous Peoples.
• Climate change creates cascading impacts beyond direct infrastructure costs, including threats to food security by disrupting the storage of country food in traditional underground ice cellars.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2022). DUE NORTH: Facing the costs of climate change for Northern infrastructure. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Due-North.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. DUE NORTH: Facing the costs of climate change for Northern infrastructure. 2022. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Due-North.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=DUE NORTH: Facing the costs of climate change for Northern infrastructure |date=June 2022 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Due-North.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2022due, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{DUE NORTH: Facing the costs of climate change for Northern infrastructure}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Due-North.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }