A recent audit conducted by Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry V. DeMarco has revealed significant shortcomings in the federal government’s efforts to safeguard over $100 billion worth of critical infrastructure from the adverse effects of climate change. According to DeMarco, urgent action is needed as Canada is experiencing warming at a rate twice the global average, emphasizing the importance of protecting federal assets to ensure community resilience and long-term cost savings.
The audit highlighted that out of the 1,623 critical assets owned by the federal government, 275 are at considerable risk due to climate change impacts. However, only three percent of these high-risk assets have climate resilience plans in place. The Greening Government Strategy, initiated in 2017 with the objectives of achieving net-zero government emissions by 2050 and enhancing climate resilience by 2035, aims to address vulnerabilities and strengthen assets against climate-related challenges such as rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and natural disasters.
While the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat oversees the implementation of the Greening Government Strategy by government departments, the audit pointed out gaps in oversight, particularly in ensuring the execution of climate resilience strategies. The audit focused on key departments, including National Defence, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which collectively own 67 percent of federal assets. Although these departments conducted risk assessments for vulnerable assets, they have yet to take action to enhance their resilience.
Furthermore, the audit revealed that no funding has been allocated by the Treasury Board for climate resilience activities since the strategy’s inception, hindering departments from implementing necessary actions like infrastructure upgrades. The lack of interim targets, outdated guidance, and incomplete tools provided by the Treasury Board have resulted in disparate approaches among departments, impeding progress towards climate resilience objectives.
The audit stressed the importance of advancing climate resilience efforts, citing potential annual damages to government infrastructure ranging from $3 billion to $8 billion by 2030 and up to $6.2 billion to $13.5 billion by 2050. Failure to take proactive measures could escalate costs for Canadian society as climate-related events become more frequent and severe.