Advancing the Climate Resilience of Canadian Infrastructure

The report identifies significant climate risks to Canadian infrastructure, including permafrost degradation in the North and flooding in coastal and urban areas. It recommends a whole-of-society approach combining climate-informed planning, structural changes, and natural infrastructure solutions. While federal initiatives like the Climate Lens and the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund provide a foundation, the report argues for greater investment to close an infrastructure gap estimated up to CAD 1 trillion and the adoption of more diverse sustainable finance mechanisms.

• Canada's physical infrastructure is ranked as the country's most consequential climate risk, yet it also represents the sector with the highest potential for resilience through adaptation policies and programs.
• Climate change impacts vary by region: Northern areas face permafrost degradation and shortened ice road seasons; the Pacific and Atlantic regions face sea level rise and storm surges; and the Prairies and Central regions face increased droughts, wildfires, and intense precipitation.
• Six types of built infrastructure are identified as vulnerable: land transportation (e.g., road rutting from heat), buildings (e.g., foundation buckling from permafrost melt), water supply (e.g., potable water loss from drought), wastewater/stormwater (e.g., overwhelmed drainage from heavy rain), marine (e.g., port damage from sea level rise), and energy/ICT (e.g., power outages from winter storms).
• Natural infrastructure solutions, such as wetlands, salt marshes, and green roofs, are cost-effective alternatives or complements to 'grey' infrastructure, providing co-benefits like carbon sequestration and biodiversity habitat.
• Canada faces a substantial infrastructure deficit estimated between CAD 150 billion and CAD 1 trillion, with a specific gap for First Nations infrastructure estimated at CAD 25 billion to CAD 30 billion.
• Federal efforts to incentivize resilience include the Climate Lens General Guidance, which requires resilience assessments for certain funding, and the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) for large-scale projects.
• Adaptation strategies for infrastructure are categorized into three main areas: climate-informed planning and assessment, enhanced monitoring and maintenance, and structural changes.
• There is a need to diversify financing beyond federal-provincial-territorial mechanisms to include sustainable finance, green bonds, and risk-informed private investment.

APA

Swanson, D., Murphy, D., Temmer, J., & Scaletta, T. (2021). Advancing the Climate Resilience of Canadian Infrastructure. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-07/climate-resilience-canadian-infrastructure-en.pdf

Chicago

Swanson, Darren, Deborah Murphy, Jennifer Temmer, and Todd Scaletta. Advancing the Climate Resilience of Canadian Infrastructure. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-07/climate-resilience-canadian-infrastructure-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Swanson |first1=Darren |last2=Murphy |first2=Deborah |last3=Temmer |first3=Jennifer |last4=Scaletta |first4=Todd |title=Advancing the Climate Resilience of Canadian Infrastructure |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=July 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-07/climate-resilience-canadian-infrastructure-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{swanson2021advancing, author = {Swanson, Darren and Murphy, Deborah and Temmer, Jennifer and Scaletta, Todd}, title = {{Advancing the Climate Resilience of Canadian Infrastructure}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-07/climate-resilience-canadian-infrastructure-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }