Federal report reveals the annual cost of natural disasters to the Canadian economy

The number of extreme weather events has grown 7% since 1983

Federal report reveals the annual cost of natural disasters to the Canadian economy

Environmental

By Lyle Adriano

Canada is paying out more than ever for damages related to climate change-related severe weather, a new federal report has found.

The report, “Canada in a Changing Climate: National Issues,” was produced by National Resources Canada in cooperation with a committee composed of representatives from various other government agencies, provincial officials, scholars, First Nations, and a US-based research centre.

According to the report, the costs of natural disasters from extreme weather average $1.9 billion each year – up from approximately $400 million a decade ago. It also noted that costs associated with the damage are largely due to growing exposure and increasing asset values. The scale of the damage also suggests that Canadian households, communities, businesses, and infrastructure are “not sufficiently adapted” to current climate conditions and changes.

Similarly, the report found that the number of extreme weather events has been increasing over time as well. The five-year moving average grew by about 7% annually between 1983 and 2018.

“Research also demonstrates that the window for taking action to reduce increasingly severe impacts is rapidly closing,” a senior National Resources Canada official told reporters during the launch of the report.

Canada’s core public infrastructure is, “operating beyond its expected lifecycle and needs replacement or retrofitting,” according to Fiona Warren of the National Resources Canada, and she added that climate change adds a “frightening” dimension to ageing infrastructure.

Notably, the report also found that climate change litigation is increasing against governments and their agencies in Canada. As of September 30, 2020, Canadian plaintiffs have launched four separate lawsuits against governments. By comparison, there were only two such cases where courts were asked to review purported climate inaction from the federal government before 2018.

The new 734-page report was released Monday afternoon, CBC News reported.

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