A CALL TO ACTION

ADAPTATION
In human systems, the process of adjustment
to actual or expected climate and its effects,
in order to moderate harm or exploit beneficial
opportunities.
MITIGATION
A human intervention to reduce emissions or
enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.
RISK
The potential for adverse consequences of a
climate-related hazard on lives, ecosystems,
infrastructure assets and services.
B.C. MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Permanent repairs to Coquihalla Highway 5 are complete after it was washed out during unprecedented flooding two years ago.
Thirty years ago, adaptation was rarely mentioned at a
climate change meeting or conference, or at best it was included in the conversation because it allowed society more
time to reduce emissions. Over time, it has become clearer
that some degree of climate change is inevitable and unavoidable, and that climate adaptation is necessary to cope
with the adverse e昀昀ects of climate change on human and
natural systems. Thirty years later, the case for mitigation
now includes giving society more time to adapt. Policy goals
are shifting from primarily mitigation towards greater consideration of adaptation, as re昀氀ected in the Paris Agreement
and other subsequent legal instruments adopted by various
governments. Support for adaptation in countries vulnerable to climate change has dominated the policy discourse,
along with growing support for protecting, preserving, and
enhancing nature and ecosystems. Domestically the emergence of adaptation has been relatively uneven and slow in
its development, but since 2015 much more attention has
been directed towards it, culminating in the release of Canada’s 昀椀rst National Adaptation Strategy and Government of
Canada Adaptation Action Plan in 2023.
RENEWCANADA.NET
The cost of extreme weather, climate change
and adaptation
As society begins to experience the e昀昀ects of climate
change, there has been growing interest in quantifying the
cost of impacts from acute and chronic changes in climate.
It is well documented that the insured costs of extreme
weather events globally, including Canada, have been
increasing over the past few decades, and are on a clear
trajectory upwards. According to the Insurance Bureau
of Canada severe weather in 2023 caused more than $3.1
billion in insured damage. 2023 ranked fourth among Canada’s top-10 highest insured severe-weather loss years on
record (in 2022 dollars). The highest insured severe-weather loss year was 2016, with a total loss estimated at almost
$6 billion, coinciding with the 昀椀res in Fort McMurray,
Alberta. These amounts do not include uninsured losses
that could also be signi昀椀cant.
Estimating the cost of climate change impacts is a challenging task, and this is commonly considered as the costs
of doing nothing. Estimates of the costs of chronic and
acute climate change impacts vary, but there is widespread
MAY/JUNE2024 – RENEW CANADA 11

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