Many Canadians live in climate risk areas and don't know it: report
CTV
Canada's outdated approach to assessing the risks of climate change means that many Canadians are currently living in areas considered at risk of climate-related flooding and wildfires without knowing it, says a new report from the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices.
The study, released last week by the government-funded think tank, projects risks and costs to Canadian infrastructure – homes, buildings, roads, railways and electrical systems – over the next several decades based on various climate change scenarios.
It identifies flooding as the greatest risk to homes and buildings, and concludes that many Canadians are unaware of the flood risk to their homes.
“Canada has a flood risk information deficit,” the report says.
The study estimates that some 650,000 homes are currently at risk from river flooding, and that another 325,000 are at risk of local flash floods of streets and sewers, which it says is a risk government flood maps rarely take into account.
