Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette expects the cost of adapting to the impacts of the climate crisis to rise significantly in the coming years. But if we have to be prepared to suffer the repercussions of global warming, this component of the Plan for a green economy accounts for barely 5% of the investments planned between now and 2027. It is therefore important to step up the pace, in particular to prepare for the heat waves and coastal erosion.
“We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, and they will increase even if greenhouse gas emissions decrease considerably. We must therefore take the measure of it, ”said Minister Charette on Friday in an interview with the To have to.
Increase in deadly heat waves in cities, coastal erosion, flooding and other extreme climatic phenomena: Quebec will be hit hard by climate change, even if it manages to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions .
Minister Charette also says he is aware that major changes will be necessary — to reduce Quebecers’ exposure to flooding, for example. “Our cities and our citizens will have to mourn certain spaces that could be coveted for development. It’s major, and it’s an important culture change, ”he warned.
On the North Shore, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, in Gaspésie and in the Magdalen Islands, coastal erosion will cause serious headaches for the Ministère des Transports du Québec. “There will be roads to move,” admits the minister. The MTQ has already identified no less than 173 vulnerable road segments. An “intervention program”, which could prove costly, is expected to follow over the next few years.
In this context of increasing impacts, can we fear a significant increase in the costs of adaptation to climate change? “You have to be aware that it is a more than real probability. We will increasingly face extreme weather events, including heat waves. People need to be aware of that. We must point this out to the public,” the minister argued.
As part of Thursday’s unveiling of the 2022-2027 implementation program for its Plan for a Green Economy, the Legault government announced investments of $437 million to “strengthen resilience”. This represents just over 5% of the $7.6 billion forecast.
Funds allocated to adaptation include $113 million devoted mainly to the “greening” of cities to combat heat islands and their protection against “more intense and more frequent heavy rainfall”. Other investments will include analyzing health risks, assessing the resilience of public infrastructure and supporting business adaptation.
The 437 million dollars are only the beginning, however, promises Benoit Charette. “Each year, we will be able to improve the measures according to the reality that presents itself to us. We already have a 14% increase compared to last year, but there will inevitably be other adaptation measures in the plans that will follow. »
An effort still insufficient, say the experts
If he welcomes the growth of investments from Quebec, the general manager of the Ouranos research consortium, Alain Bourque, underlines that the effort is still insufficient.
“For example, the $113 million envelope planned for greening is an excellent idea, but it’s not enough. The municipalities believe that the amounts are largely insufficient to effectively combat heat islands, extreme precipitation events, etc. It will not meet the needs and the funds will be spent very quickly. »
According to him, we must also focus more on the impacts of coastal erosion, which could be very expensive over the coming decades. “We are not moving fast enough to fundamentally rethink how coastal communities are developed so that the costs of natural disasters over the next few years and decades are controllable,” Bourque said.
The president of the Union des municipalités du Québec, Daniel Côté, recalls that a study commissioned in 2019 concluded that the adaptation costs for the municipalities of the province could exceed four billion dollars, and this, over a horizon of five years.
Holder of the Canada Research Chair in Urban Climate Action, Sophie Van Neste also warns that the most vulnerable citizens will be the most affected by the consequences of global warming, including heat waves. It therefore invites the government to better support the organizations that come to their aid. From an annual average of three days at over 32°C a decade ago, we could increase to more than 20 days by 2040, then to almost 50 days before the end of the century, according to the Institute. National Public Health of Quebec.