The report said: “A large number of studies have shown that current and future adaptation efforts are insufficient in the face of the rapidly accumulating social and economic losses from the impact of climate change.” Canada in Climate Change: National Issues.

“The research also shows that the window for action to reduce the growing impact is rapidly closing.”

Covering legal risks, shipping routes, agriculture, immigration, etc., here are four key points 734 page report Released on Monday afternoon.

Infrastructure threats

From bridges to sewage systems, Canadian infrastructure is already under pressure and aging.

The report stated: “Most of Canada’s core public infrastructure operations have exceeded the expected life cycle and need to be replaced or modified.”

Fiona Warren, a senior official from the Canadian Department of Natural Resources, told reporters on Monday that climate change has added a “terrifying” aspect to aging infrastructure.

Cracking roads, shortened asphalt life, track bending affecting freight transport, and deteriorating buildings are just some of the threats.

Warren said that remote rural communities are expected to be most affected by the infrastructure gap caused by global warming. “Those who are struggling will be hit hardest.”

She said that spending $1 now on infrastructure to improve and adapt to climate change can bring benefits of $5 to $6 in the future. “Adaptation is happening and increasing, but it is not keeping up.”

Increased legal risks faced by governments and enterprises

Angry at their belief that the government is not doing anything about climate issues, activists are increasingly turning to courts to try to force change.

The report said: “There are more and more climate change lawsuits against the Canadian government and its agencies.”

As of September 30, 2020, spurred by the successful legal challenges to climate policy in the Netherlands and Pakistan, Canadian plaintiffs have filed four separate lawsuits against the government.

The report pointed out that before 2018, there were only two cases in Canada that required the court to review the federal government’s allegations of climate omission.

It added that after a court case in the United States, activists may also target the company’s climate policy.

According to academic data cited in government reports, 90 large companies generated nearly 70% of global climate change carbon dioxide emissions between 1751 and 2017, which means that energy and resource companies are particularly vulnerable to climate-related litigation.

“All public companies must prove how they manage significant risks,” Executive Director Paul Kovacs Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction At the University of West London in Ontario, one of the many authors of the report-told reporters on Monday.

According to the report, how companies disclose these climate risks may become a key flashpoint for future lawsuits against corporate officials.

“Canadian securities regulators have broad powers to sue companies, their directors and responsible personnel for disclosure violations,” it said.

“Even if the lawsuit against the company is unsuccessful, it may be costly for the company and its insurance company, may have a significant impact on its reputation, and may affect the company’s access to capital.”

Geopolitics: Arctic shipping changes, immigration pressure

According to the report, climate change is affecting shipping in the Arctic, while geopolitics surrounding military preparations, immigration, and aid are changing.

The report said: “With the rapid retreat of Arctic Ocean sea ice and increased physical access to the region and its resources, the Arctic is now on the world stage.”

According to the report, over the past decade, the area of ??summer sea ice in the Canadian Arctic has been decreasing by 5% to 20%, including the area across the Northwest Passage.

According to the report, the shipping distance between New York and Shanghai through the Northwest Passage is about 20% shorter than that through the Panama Canal, which is currently a popular route supporting global commercial container transportation.

Although new routes are about to open, it is still unclear how these spaces will be managed and supervised. The report said: “Canada’s transboundary ocean and freshwater agreement does not take climate change into account.”

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The integrity of military bases and equipment may also be threatened by climate change.

According to the report, although the United States has identified its military assets and operations most vulnerable to climate change as the basis for setting priorities, Canada has not.

It said that the increase in natural disasters and crop failures in the world’s poorest countries may also trigger more migration and more assistance needs, and pointed out that recent studies predict that for every 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature, the risk of displacement will increase by 50 %.

A silver lining for tourism and agriculture?

Officials said that due to the longer growing season, climate change may promote agricultural development in parts of the grassland, adding that tourism in the Far North and other regions may benefit from rising temperatures.

However, they emphasized that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

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Officials said that it is not yet clear how much new land can be used for agriculture as the temperature rises, or how much climate change can increase production in some northern regions, especially when floods, heat waves and plagues are expected to get worse. In the worst case.

Catherine Lafleur of Natural Resources Canada said that even these glimmers of hope may prove to be a “double-edged sword.”

She said that the “last trip”-for example, Canadians traveling to the Far North to see icebergs or polar bears “take advantage of these okay”-may increase.

However, winter tourism such as skiing “may be hit hard,” Lafleur said, noting that some ski resort operators are beginning to use their facilities to carry out summer activities as the winter warms.

“Planning in advance is the key to realizing potential benefits,” she said.