PRÉVENIR OU RÉPARER

The report evaluates the costs of maintaining Canadian public infrastructure under different climate scenarios, concluding that proactive adaptation is more cost-effective than reactive repairs or inaction. It estimates that without adaptation, annual infrastructure costs could reach 14 billion dollars by the 2050s and 19 billion dollars by 2085. Proactive adaptation, requiring an average annual investment of 4 billion dollars, could reduce total costs by nearly 9 billion dollars per year compared to no adaptation. The document recommends six strategic priorities for federal, provincial, and territorial governments to accelerate resilience, including updated building codes and increased funding for municipalities and Indigenous governments.

• Climate change is projected to increase the costs of public infrastructure maintenance and repair. In the most likely scenario, costs without adaptation are expected to reach 14 billion dollars per year by the 2050s and 19 billion dollars per year by 2085, focusing specifically on impacts from extreme rain, thermal stress, and certain floods.
• Proactive adaptation to rising temperatures and heavy rainfall is significantly cheaper than reactive approaches. Median estimates suggest it reduces total costs by nearly 9 billion dollars per year compared to no adaptation, and by approximately 4 billion dollars per year compared to reactive adaptation at the time of replacement.
• Implementing a proactive adaptation strategy requires a sustained average annual investment of 4.1 billion dollars, which is projected to generate annual savings of up to 8.6 billion dollars. Despite these investments, total average costs for infrastructure owners will exceed 6 billion dollars per year due to inevitable climate damages.
• Proactive adaptation would substantially increase the proportion of climate-resilient assets, moving from nearly zero today to approximately 25% by 2030 and over 70% by 2050.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2026). PRÉVENIR OU RÉPARER. https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Prevenir-ou-reparer-Synthese.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. PRÉVENIR OU RÉPARER. 2026. https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Prevenir-ou-reparer-Synthese.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=PRÉVENIR OU RÉPARER |date=April 2026 |url=https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Prevenir-ou-reparer-Synthese.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2026prvenir, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{PRÉVENIR OU RÉPARER}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Prevenir-ou-reparer-Synthese.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }