Canada91裸聊视频檚 first-ever climate adaptation strategy was little more than six weeks old when fast-moving wildfires swept through communities in British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 southern Interior, forcing thousands to flee and destroying hundreds of homes.

It was part of Canada91裸聊视频檚 record-breaking summer of fire 91裸聊视频� more than 19,000 Yellowknife residents were ordered to escape a threatening blaze, fire ripped into suburban Halifax and smoke from fires in Quebec blanketed New York City and Washington, D.C. Some 200,000 people were evacuated from their homes across Canada.

There was also flooding in Nova Scotia that killed four people.

The disastrous events provided a taste of the worsening impacts of climate change, and recovering from such events costs many times more than adaptation, says the federal government.

Supporters of the preventive approach worry there91裸聊视频檚 a lack of will and funding to implement the national adaptation strategy. And the longerit takes to both mitigate climate change while protecting Canadians from worsening impacts, the more costly it will become to recover from them, experts say.

The national adaptation strategy, released in June, outlines and puts timelines on Ottawa91裸聊视频檚 goals to reduce wildfires, extreme heat, flooding, and a host of other impacts linked to global heating.

91裸聊视频淲e rolled up our sleeves, engaged very directly in the drafting of the strategy, and we91裸聊视频檙e quite pleased with the result,91裸聊视频� said Craig Stewart, vice-president for climate change and federal issues with the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

91裸聊视频淔or the first time, Canada has not only a national adaptation strategy, but one that sets near-term targets for action,91裸聊视频� he said.

But Stewart said the strategy so far lacks the necessary funding and implementation planning to get Ottawa91裸聊视频檚 plans off the ground.

91裸聊视频淲e haven91裸聊视频檛 seen the leadership we would expect in the last six months to actually translate those targets into action, nor do we see any funding on the horizon.91裸聊视频�

The Insurance Bureau of Canada is a member of Climate Proof Canada, a coalition of insurance companies and associations, climate research institutes and non-profits, as well as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Assembly of First Nations, the Canadian Red Cross, and others.

Last month, the coalition met with cabinet ministers and opposition politicians, pressing Ottawa to 91裸聊视频減rovide key funding91裸聊视频� to implement the adaptation strategy.

In a June news release, the federal government said it had allocated more than $6.5 billion toward adaptation measures over the last eight years, including $2 billion in commitments to support the strategy91裸聊视频檚 implementation.

However, Ottawa91裸聊视频檚 economic statement last month did not mention adaptation and there haven91裸聊视频檛 been any new, adaptation-specific funding announcements.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a bit dispiriting to be honest, given the (disasters) that have happened, given the tabling of the strategy and the lack of follow-through,91裸聊视频� Stewart said.

Figures from the Insurance Bureau of Canada show the costs of catastrophes in Canada have been markedly rising, from an average of $440 million each year between 1983 and 2000 to $2.3 billion annually between 2011 and 2020.

The federal government has said the average annual cost of disaster-related losses is projected to reach $15.4 billion by 2030. That forecast 91裸聊视频渃an be reduced by ambitious adaptation action,91裸聊视频� Ottawa said in its June statement.

By 2025, climate impacts are expected to slow Canada91裸聊视频檚 economic growth by $25 billion annually, it said, citing research by the Canadian Climate Institute.

In its national strategy, Ottawa acknowledges that 91裸聊视频渁daptation saves money,91裸聊视频� saying 91裸聊视频渆very dollar spent 91裸聊视频� saves up to $15,91裸聊视频� while generating 91裸聊视频渟ignificant benefits.91裸聊视频�

Still, Stewart said the lack of implementation planning and funding for the strategy suggests 91裸聊视频渢here91裸聊视频檚 a lack of political will around adaptation91裸聊视频� after the last federal budget earmarked $40 billion in tax credits and funding for clean energy.

91裸聊视频淭hey made a policy choice to go all-in on essentially transforming the electricity system 91裸聊视频� and that hasn91裸聊视频檛 given them the wiggle room to be bold in other areas.91裸聊视频�

But Stewart said adaptation is key.

91裸聊视频淲hen people witness floods, when they have loved ones who are affected by extreme heat, when they91裸聊视频檙e inhaling wildfire smoke, that91裸聊视频檚 when climate change becomes tangible, in a way that, you know, carbon emissions are not,91裸聊视频� he said.

Climate adaptation is also an affordability issue, Stewart said.

91裸聊视频淚f you are building homes that are not resilient, and you91裸聊视频檙e building them on floodplains, or you91裸聊视频檙e building them in high-risk areas for wildfire, and you91裸聊视频檙e not investing in the protection, then you91裸聊视频檙e actually putting families at financial risk.91裸聊视频�

The cost of rebuilding thousands of homes destroyed by climate-related disasters exacerbates existing housing supply and affordability problems, he added.

Neal Willcott is the co-author of a 2022 report for the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen91裸聊视频檚 University in Kingston, Ont., examining the physical costs of climate change, including infrastructure and biodiversity, to the year 2100.

The researcherstook a widely used model and 91裸聊视频渞epurposed91裸聊视频� it for Canada in order to make projections about climate damages and GDP over time, he explained.

The modelling found Canada91裸聊视频檚 total losses ranged from $2.773 trillion with 2 C of global heating to almost double that amount under a 5 C scenario.

Comparing those losses to the costs associated with mitigating climate change, the report says the model found spending to cut greenhouse gas emissions 91裸聊视频渕ore than pays for itself91裸聊视频� in terms of avoiding physical damages alone 91裸聊视频� even without accounting for the potential benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

91裸聊视频淲e can safeguard the Canadian economy, protect our ideal growth projections, and 91裸聊视频� it will cost less than what the cost of climate change is,91裸聊视频� Willcott said.

91裸聊视频淭he present value lost is so high that we can91裸聊视频檛 afford not to do this, but also, the costs of the solution are low enough that we really should do this.91裸聊视频�

The report says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has estimated that Earth is on track for around 3 C of global heating. A forecast that is particularly bad news for Canada, which has been warming twice as fast as the global average, it says.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e talking about three degrees in terms of world heating, which means six degrees in terms of Canada. In the Canadian North, it would be nine,91裸聊视频� said Willcott, an assistant professor at Memorial University91裸聊视频檚 faculty of business administration.

The modelling did not take into account the economic benefits of fighting climate change, nor the health costs associated with climate change, he added.

Given 91裸聊视频渇iscal restraints,91裸聊视频� Stewart said the insurance bureau has been trying to work with government to identify 91裸聊视频渓ow-hanging fruit91裸聊视频� for adaptation measures.

A national flood insurance program is at the top of the list, he said.

91裸聊视频淲e have demonstrated 91裸聊视频� through very sophisticated costing, that a national flood insurance program will actually save governments money,91裸聊视频� he said.

The last federal budget allocated close to $32 million 91裸聊视频渁s a first step91裸聊视频� toward setting up the program, and Stewart said insurers have offered to help by providing product distribution and claims administration services on a not-for-profit basis.

91裸聊视频淏ut the window of action is now, because it has to appear in Budget 2024 if the program is to be operationalized before the next federal election,91裸聊视频� he said.