Ottawa’s plan for climate change adaptation is falling short, report says [Video]

Ottawa’s efforts to prepare the country for the impacts of climate change have stumbled out of the gate, Canada’s environment commissioner said Tuesday.

In a new report, Jerry DeMarco concluded the National Adaptation Strategy was not effectively designed, did not prioritize Canada’s climate change risks and only established one of its three components since its release in 2023.

Canada has committed $1.6 billion to implementing the strategy, which is meant as a road map for communities across the country to up their game to prevent significant damage as the number of major storms, floods and fires increase exponentially with climate change.

WATCH | Provinces, territories sign on to national climate adaptation strategy:Jurisdictions across Canada are greenlighting a new government strategy aimed at helping communities adapt to increasingly severe weather caused by climate change, including extreme heat, wildfires and flooding. It aims to end extreme heat deaths by 2040 while pushing for urban …