Clean, Resilient Flood Technology Options in Canada

Flooding is a significant threat to human life, property, the environment, and the economy in Canada, costing billions of dollars in damages. Canada is warming twice as fast as the global average and increases in severity and frequency of extreme precipitation are projected to exacerbate urban flood risks, while coastal flood risks will increase due to sea level rise in many areas.

Canadian communities have implemented a wide variety of plans aimed at building resilience to flooding, and forward-thinking cities are planning to lock in resilience for decades by building adaptable and modular infrastructure. However, local governments often lack sufficient resources to properly address the problem alone.

This report, prepared for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) by ACT highlights promising existing and emerging clean technologies for climate change adaptation in Canada in the context of urban planning and water resource management. It presents three sets of criteria that examine the resilience of a potential category of flood technology, the costs and barriers to implementation, and the degree to which a technology can be classified as clean. Finally, it provides measurable policy recommendations that can contribute to reduction of climate vulnerability through the use of clean technologies and other resources, increasing Canada’s low carbon resilience in a changing climate.