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Climate change is making heatwaves in Canada more frequent, intense, and prolonged, with the country warming twice as fast as the global average. These events are linked to increased mortality, severe health risks, and the amplification of wildfires, such as the 2021 British Columbia heat dome. The economic burden is significant, with projected annual costs of $3 billion for health-related deaths and quality of life losses by mid-century, alongside billions in infrastructure damage and productivity losses. Adaptation strategies, including indoor cooling and resilient infrastructure, are recommended to mitigate these risks.

Climate change is making heat waves in Canada hotter, longer, and more frequent, with the country warming twice as fast as the global average. These events are linked to increased mortality, severe health issues, and the intensification of wildfires. Economic burdens include billions in healthcare costs, societal losses from premature deaths, and infrastructure damage. Adaptation strategies such as indoor cooling, green infrastructure, and improved urban design are recommended to mitigate these risks.

The document details how climate change intensifies droughts through higher temperatures and altered precipitation, leading to severe economic losses in agriculture and hydropower, increased wildfire risks, and public health threats in Canada.

Climate change is increasing the risk and severity of droughts globally and across Canada, leading to significant economic losses in agriculture and hydroelectricity, increased wildfire risk, and public health threats. In Canada, the southern Prairies and interior British Columbia are particularly vulnerable, with 2025 seeing 85% of the country abnormally dry. The document advocates for proactive drought response plans, water conservation, and strengthened agricultural resilience to mitigate these impacts.

The briefing identifies a systematic 'escalation of doubt' strategy used by disinformation actors to minimize the role of climate change in wildfires. It details how narratives shift from attributing fires to criminal acts or government mismanagement to more extreme conspiracy theories, such as claims that fires are started to clear land for wind farms or lithium extraction. The document highlights the role of digital platforms' 'attention economy' in amplifying these lies, noting that in Canada, such disinformation has interfered with emergency services and public safety during crises. It concludes that 86% of Canadians support a federal plan to regulate the spread of climate disinformation during extreme weather events.

The Canadian Climate Institute warns that failing to adapt public infrastructure to rising heat and intense rainfall could increase annual costs by nearly $15 billion. While the federal government has failed to meet its own climate-proofing commitments, the broader challenge involves municipal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous infrastructure. Investing approximately $4 billion annually in adaptation could save taxpayers up to $9 billion in annual repair costs. The document emphasizes that current funding models for municipal and Indigenous governments are insufficient for large-scale renewal, necessitating a coordinated effort across all levels of government to modernize financial tools and infrastructure standards.

An analysis of 393 environmental and energy bills introduced in the first quarter of 2026 reveals that 45% were bipartisan. Bipartisan bills showed a higher rate of legislative advancement (22%) compared to non-bipartisan bills (15%). The highest level of consensus was found in oceans and biodiversity, where approximately 67% of bills were bipartisan. Other areas of strong cooperation include disaster management, wildfires, and permitting reform. The report notes that successful bipartisan legislation often focuses on concrete economic impacts or specific, narrow scopes and typically avoids using the terminology of climate change. In contrast, energy bills were less bipartisan, with Republicans focusing on deregulation and Democrats on clean energy tax credits, although specific technologies like geothermal, hydropower, nuclear, and waste-to-energy maintain bipartisan support.

June 2026 was the second-warmest June on record globally, with the Arctic experiencing its warmest June ever. In the U.S., 66% of the contiguous region faced abnormally dry or drought conditions by July 7, 2026, and the West and Southwest regions saw their warmest January-June period on record. A very strong El Niño is forecast to develop between October and December 2026, with an 81% probability, likely pushing global temperatures to or above 1.5C by October. Climate Central's analysis indicates human-caused climate change is a key driver of summertime warming in 91% of analyzed U.S. cities.

Climate Central analyzed data from 476 weather stations to track fire weather trends in the contiguous U.S. between 1973 and 2025. The analysis reveals a significant increase in fire weather days, particularly in the western U.S., where conditions are intensifying in spring and summer. While the eastern U.S. has seen smaller increases, some areas in the Southeast and Northeast are experiencing more frequent fire weather. The report highlights that climate change is driving these trends through warming temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, which prime landscapes for wildfires to ignite and spread.

The document describes El Niño as a natural climate phenomenon characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. It argues that climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme El Niño events, particularly Central-Pacific (CP) events, and complicating their prediction. For 2026, there is a 61% chance of an El Niño emerging between May and July, with some models suggesting it could be the strongest in 140 years. The briefing details global teleconnections, noting that El Niño typically causes droughts in southern Africa, Australia, and India, while increasing flood risks in East Africa and the Americas. These shifts significantly impact global agriculture, reducing yields for maize, rice, and wheat while often increasing soybean yields. Regional analysis highlights specific risks, such as increased cholera in East Africa, hydropower reductions at Kariba Dam in Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Amazon becoming a net carbon source during Eastern-Pacific (EP) events.

The Council on Strategic Risks describes a workshop in California that explored how extreme weather events, such as wildfires and droughts, can be leveraged by opportunistic actors to spread mis- and disinformation. The report identifies key uncertainties regarding generative AI, institutional capacity, and public trust, and presents three divergent future scenarios for the state: a 'muddling through' crisis, a geopolitical collapse triggered by conflict in the Pacific, and a positive social transformation in water management. It concludes that information manipulation is a persistent risk to disaster response and national security, necessitating cross-sector partnerships for resilience.

The document examines how climate change and human activity are increasing the vulnerability of both fire-adapted and non-adapted forests. It highlights the severe carbon emissions and ecological losses from recent record-breaking fires in 2023 and 2024, particularly in Canada and South America. The text details the drivers of vulnerability—including forest fragmentation and drought—and proposes resilience strategies such as securing Indigenous land rights, implementing fire breaks, and expanding restoration financing.

Between December 2025 and February 2026, human-caused climate change significantly influenced global temperatures, with more than one in six people daily experiencing temperatures at least twice as likely due to climate change. In the United States, a sharp divide occurred: western states saw record-breaking warmth, with nine states experiencing their warmest December-February on record and Casper, Wyoming, recording the highest temperature anomaly globally among 960 analyzed cities. Conversely, the eastern U.S. faced below-average temperatures and cold snaps that the Climate Shift Index (CSI) indicates were made less likely by climate change. The record warmth in the west has led to low snowpack in Oregon, Colorado, and Utah, threatening water supplies and increasing wildfire risks.

Between December 2025 and February 2026, climate change significantly boosted global temperatures, with over one in six people experiencing strong climate influence daily. Nearly 228 million people faced 30 or more risky heat days added by climate change, with 81% of these individuals residing in Africa. The analysis highlights that in 45 countries, all risky heat days during this period were driven by climate change, and 124 countries saw the average person experience at least 30 days of strong climate influence (CSI level 2 or higher).

In January 2026, severe wildfires affected central-southern Chile and northern Patagonia in Argentina, driven by temperatures above 38°C, drought, and winds of 40–50 km/h. The fires destroyed at least 1,000 homes in Chile, killed 23 people, and burned over 109,000 hectares across both countries, impacting the UNESCO world heritage site Los Alerces National Park. An attribution study using the hot-dry-windy index (HDWI) found that these conditions, typically 1-in-5-year events, were made more likely by human-induced climate change by a factor of approximately 3 in Chile and 2.5 in Patagonia. Additionally, fire-season rainfall intensity decreased by about 25% in Chile and 20% in Patagonia. The study highlights that nonnative monocultural pine plantations increased flammability and that natural variability, such as La Niña and the Southern Annular Mode, further enhanced the hot and dry conditions.

The guide outlines best practices for covering wildfires, advising journalists on physical safety, the distinction between climate-driven conditions and ignition sources, and the importance of reporting on vulnerable populations and adaptation measures. It notes that while direct attribution of a single fire to climate change is difficult, global warming increases the frequency and intensity of disasters through higher temperatures and prolonged droughts.

The document details how climate change disrupts U.S. transportation systems through acute events like hurricanes and chronic stressors like sea level rise. It highlights significant projected costs for asphalt maintenance and railroad delays, the vulnerability of coastal highways and bridges, and the necessity of proactive adaptation, such as using heat-resistant materials and nature-based solutions, to mitigate economic losses.

The report finds that a majority of Americans believe global warming is happening and is primarily human-caused, though many underestimate the level of public concern. While most perceive global warming as affecting U.S. weather and extreme events, few discuss the topic frequently with others.

A study by World Weather Attribution found that human-induced climate change made a January 2026 heatwave in south-eastern Australia approximately 1.6°C hotter and about 5 times more likely than in a preindustrial climate. Despite a weak La Niña phase reducing the event's severity by 0.3–0.5°C, the warming driven by climate change remained the dominant factor. The event caused a 25% increase in emergencies in Melbourne and created dangerous fire weather in Victoria and New South Wales comparable to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. The report also notes that abundant renewable generation, with solar providing over 60% of midday electricity, helped meet record demand more smoothly than in previous heatwaves.

The research examines how wildfire impacts are mapped and understood in Sweden, contrasting official reports with the narrative accounts of Sámi reindeer herders following a major 2018 fire. It argues that current wildfire management fails to recognize the practices and rights of indigenous communities, leading to stark differences in how spatial and temporal fire boundaries are perceived. The authors advocate for a more inclusive approach to landscape management that incorporates multiple human-landscape relations and values.