The federal government of Canada has a plan to safeguard over $100 billion in vital infrastructure from climate change. However, a recent audit reveals serious shortcomings in implementation.
Jerry V. DeMarco, Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, shared his concerns. He emphasized that as Canada heats up at twice the global average, it’s crucial to protect federal assets. He pointed out that small craft harbors, essential for supporting more than 45,000 jobs, are particularly vulnerable and need urgent attention.
The audit highlights that Canada owns 1,623 critical assets, including bridges and buildings. Alarmingly, 275 of these are deemed at significant risk due to climate change. Yet, only three percent of these at-risk assets have proper climate resilience plans.
Launched in 2017, the Greening Government Strategy aims to reduce government emissions to net-zero by 2050 and improve climate resilience by 2035. This means evaluating government assets for climate vulnerability and establishing plans to strengthen them against extreme weather, rising temperatures, and other dangers.
However, the audit found that key departments—National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada—have not acted effectively. Together, these departments control 67 percent of the federal government’s assets. While they have conducted risk assessments, actual improvements in resilience are lacking.
The report indicates significant gaps in the Treasury Board’s oversight. The provided guidance is outdated, leading departments to take inconsistent approaches. This inconsistency hampers progress in making infrastructure more resilient.
Another issue is funding. The audit noted that since the strategy was introduced, the Treasury Board has not allocated specific funds for enhancing climate resilience. Departments reported that the lack of dedicated funding caused barriers to making necessary upgrades.
Monitoring is also lacking. The Treasury Board does not properly track progress towards climate resilience goals and has not set interim targets. They have also failed to gather results from about 70 percent of the agencies they oversee. This makes it challenging to determine if departments are on track and limits opportunities to make necessary adjustments.
The financial implications of inaction are significant. The audit predicts that climate change could result in damages costing between $3 billion and $8 billion annually by 2030, potentially rising to between $6.2 billion and $13.5 billion by 2050. Delays in addressing these issues may lead to even greater costs for Canadian society.
In summary, while the Canadian government recognizes the urgency of climate change, the audit shows that much work is needed to turn plans into action. Addressing these gaps is essential not only for the environment but also for financial stability for communities across the country.
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