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Climate

Adapting to our changing climate and its impacts

Helping to protect Canadians and build resilient communities

Climate change is a threat to our shared future. But it’s also having a serious and growing impact on our safety and our communities today. More and bigger floods, wildfires, hailstorms, and windstorms – influenced by our changing climate – are costing billions and putting people and property at risk.

More must be done to protect Canadians, their families, and their property. IBC advocates for stronger resilience measures to adapt to climate change and mitigate the impacts of future disaster risks, including flooding and earthquake.

In the decade since the catastrophic floods of 2013 in Alberta and Ontario, Canada’s insurers have stepped up to protect Canadians from the growing effects of climate change:

  • We created a new category of insurance – overland flood coverage – to financially protect Canadians who live in areas of increasing flood risk

  • We successfully advocated for the creation of a national flood insurance program, which will once implemented ensure that overland flood insurance is available for all who need it, including those whose homes are at severe risk of flood damage

  • We work in partnership with government – sharing our data, offering our expertise, and advocating for policy changes and financial investments that will help protect Canadians from the immediate and emerging effects of our changing climate

In addition to a national flood insurance program, IBC has long been advocating for investments in climate adaptation including:

  • new infrastructure to reduce the impact of floods, wildfires and extreme heat on communities, including nature-based solutions

  • retrofit programs that focus on resilience, e.g. Adaptation Home Rating System

  • improved building codes and better land-use planning

  • incentives to relocate homes and businesses away from areas of highest risk

As the voice of Canada’s insurers, IBC has been sounding the alarm on climate change for more than a decade – calling on governments not only to reduce emissions but also to invest in measures that better protect Canadians from current threats and risks.

IBC has played – and continues to play – a key role on a number of critical government bodies and task forces and is now recognized as one of the most vocal and effective advocates for government action to reduce climate-related risks to Canadians and their property.

IBC is a founding member of Climate Proof Canada – a broad coalition that urges the federal government to take action now to create a culture of national preparedness and build a more disaster-resilient country.

Explore our Work

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Canadians need flood protection Canadians need flood protection

Flooding is Canada’s greatest climate threat and puts millions of Canadians at risk each year. By funding the National Insurance Flood Program, the federal government can protect those at the greatest risk. The time is now.

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Climate Proof Canada

To protect Canadians from the impacts of climate change takes more than just reducing emissions. We also need to prepare our communities now from ever increasing severe weather events, like floods and wildfires. Immediate protection. Long term change. Together they make climate change action work.

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The Cost of Climate Adaptation

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and IBC have partnered on a new report that demonstrates the urgent need for new investments in local climate adaptation – and the areas where that investment is needed most.

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The Essential Role of Adaptation in the Climate Crisis

As global temperatures rise, Canada must respond in two ways – by adapting to the changing climate to keep its citizens and communities out of harm’s way now, and by reducing its carbon footprint to help slow and even reverse the warming trends over time.

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A Primer on Severe Weather and Overland Flood Insurance in Canada

Every day in every community, Canadians face risk of harm from climate change. Every uptick in insurance claims costs or government disaster assistance payouts represents hundreds or thousands of lives disrupted, precious possessions lost and human suffering. Insurers see themselves as partners with governments and individual Canadians in a whole-of-society approach to managing risk, including those risks brought on by our changing climate. We all have a role to play in ensuring that everyone is prepared and protected.