Adapting to climate change

The impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt across the world, and Québec is no exception. Among other things, it is leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, such as high winds, heavy rainfall causing flooding, heat waves and droughts increasing the risk of forest fires and more. This is why we need to adapt to protect our quality of life, all while continuing to curb climate change by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. This is what the province of Quebec has commited to do via its Plan for a Green Economy.

As the current and future consequences of climate change in Québec can not be completely avoided, adaptive action must be undertaken, centered on state-of-the-art climate and adaptation science.  This helps us to better understand the climatic shifts  that are taking place, and research enables us to develop concrete solutions to the many challenges we face. 

Finally, Québec has committed to adapting to climate change while adhering to just transition  principles and practices. This means that changes to society must be equitable and serve as many individuals as possible, so that all can reap the benefits of the climate transition. 

Climate change is causing an increase in heat waves and heavy rainfall. These phenomena have several possible consequences:

• Many people’s health can be affected by heat; 
• Residential buildings can be flooded, as sewage systems are overloaded by heavy rains.

The creation of cool islands and the development of green infrastructure,which are natural or landscaped areas with vegetation are essential to counteract the effects of heat waves (french only) and ensure better management of rainwater. 

That’s why programs like OASIS (french only) finance adaptation measures within municipalities and Indigenous communities. The OASIS program supports the installation of green infrastructure, such as green roofs and walls, retention basins and gardens to manage rainwater and protect the population from heat waves and flooding.

The program Accelerating local climate transition (ATCL) (french only) also provides funding for municipal bodies to plan and implement projects that will help Québec municipalities adapt and reduce their Greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.

Several individual adaptation measures (french only) can also help reduce the impact of extreme heat.

Find out more about solutions for adapting to heat and heavy rain, and discover completed projects.
 

In Québec, a significant proportion of the population lives near a watercourse. It is therefore essential to protect the population and infrastructure against flooding, which particularly affects the southern regions of the province. Spring floods, ice jams and torrential rains cause rivers to swell, which can lead them to overflow their banks. Climate change is increasing the frequency of these events, which are disastrous for the populations affected. 

For this reason, mapping work is being carried out to monitor river flows and establish boundaries for at-risk areas. An application like Vigilance (french only), for example, can be used to identify areas at risk of flooding during periods of heavy rain or thaw, enabling monitoring, alerting and rapid mobilization of emergency responders. 

Find out more about solutions for adapting to flooding and discover completed projects.

Climate change is raising sea levels, reducing ice cover and changing the frequency and intensity of storms. These changes are causing an increase in coastal erosion (degradation of banks, shorelines and coastlines) and coastal flooding (inundation of land along the coast). 

These phenomena affect the population by threatening the health and safety of residents living near water. They also have a negative impact on economic activity in coastal regions and damage road infrastructure.

Proper management of the coasts of the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence is essential to protect people and infrastructure from damage caused by coastal erosion. The project office (Bureau de projets en érosion et submersion côtières) supports the development of intervention plans with local communities to protect banks. At-risk areas are also being mapped and documented to better protect infrastructure and buildings, as well as the socio-economic vitality of communities. Science reports and maps showing the different types of coastlines, their uses, the ecosystems, and the exposure of infrastructure to coastal erosion are available on the Projet Résilience côtière website (French only). 

Find out more about solutions for adapting to coastal erosion and flooding and discover completed projects.

Many agricultural producers are already feeling the effects of climate change and are having to review their practices. They have to adjust:

• Rising temperatures;
• Longer growing seasons;
• Changes in precipitation frequency and intensity;
• The presence of new insect pests;
• The presence of invasive exotic species.

As this is essential to Québec, more action is underway than at any previous time, and an increasing number of experts are launching projects and carrying out research to support the producers who feed the population.

Find out more about solutions for adapting agriculture and discover completed projects.

With climate change, rising temperatures are leading to a series of extreme events, resulting in more and more forest fires. For example, there are:

• Periods of extreme heat and drought that dry out forests
• Electrical storms with lightning that ignites fires;
• High winds, which increase the intensity and spread of fires

The risks are even greater in coniferous forests, which are more susceptible to fire than deciduous forests, which are generally less combustible.

Actions to protect people from forest fires are being taken in Québec. Firefighters are trained to deal with extreme situations triggered by extreme fire weather. Elements that could lead to forest fires are also monitored for rapid response. 

Find out more about solutions for adapting to forest fires and discover completed projects.

In Québec, permafrost (french only) can be found in Nunavik (north of the 55^th parallel). Permafrost is ground that remains frozen for at least two consecutive years. Climate change affects permafrost by melting the ice within it, which can damage homes, roads and infrastructure built on this type of terrain. Populations in northern Québec are adversely impacted by thawing permafrost. Buildings and roads in this part of the territory must therefore be constructed, maintained or adapted in line with the risks associated with permafrost degradation. 

The Chaire de recherche en partenariat sur le pergélisol at Université Laval is developing knowledge to facilitate the construction of facilities that are resilient and sustainable in the context of climate change.