Premier François Legault promises additional funds to help Quebec adapt to the inevitable impacts of the climate crisis, but for the moment, he is unable to assess the costs of this adaptation. The municipalities in the province alone estimate their needs at at least $2 billion a year.
The duty reported Wednesday morning on a study produced by the firm WSP at the request of the Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) and which concludes that adaptation funding needs reach two billion dollars per year, and this, at least for the next ten years. Total bill: $20 billion just for municipalities.
However, the Plan for a Green Economy (PEV) currently provides $647.3 million over the period 2022-2027 “for actions that contribute to the adaptation of Quebec”. This amount represents 8.5% of the 7.6 billion spent on the Legault government’s EPI. And it is still unclear how much of the additional $1.4 billion earmarked for the EPI will be spent on adaptation.
Several elected municipal officials are therefore calling for more investment to prepare for deadly heat waves, more intense precipitation, increased freezing and thawing periods, increased risk of flooding and worsening coastal erosion. . Road and water management infrastructure will therefore require major work over the next few years, according to WSP’s analysis.
“Measures” to come
Questioned on Wednesday by the co-spokesperson of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, during question period in the National Assembly, François Legault promised more financial support for adaptation, without advancing on an amount. or specific commitments. He simply indicated that the additional $1.4 billion announced for the PEV in the most recent Quebec budget would include “measures” for adaptation. These will be clarified during the update of the climate plan, which is expected in the coming weeks.
“I also remind the Leader of the Second Opposition Group that we tabled a separate plan to deal with the impacts of flooding, a $479 million plan,” said Mr. Legault, adding that “the municipalities must also do their part”.
While insisting on the urgency of “a major adaptation project” and recalling the requests of the municipalities, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois then asked the Prime Minister if he was able to quantify the cost of adaptation for Quebec. “To govern is to foresee. We know it will cost us dearly, but we have to know how much. I ask the Prime Minister to estimate the amounts needed to be set aside to prepare for the impacts of climate change,” he insisted.
Mr. Legault was not able to present a precise assessment, but he argued that the investments planned for the EPI, which now total $9 billion, represent “a lot of money”. The CAQ government will distribute this sum to obtain “the best impact”, added the Prime Minister, while asking the supportive spokesperson “to be patient”.
“Seize the issues”
“Available studies tell us that we need to invest at least $2 billion a year. The funds provided are therefore clearly insufficient, ”lamented the mayor of Montreal Valérie Plante in an interview with the Duty. “Sums are being invested to reduce GHG emissions, which is very important. But we must not neglect adaptation. I believe that the government must better understand the issues and the impacts on the populations, but also the costs. »
In interview at Duty last year, Environment Minister Benoit Charette himself acknowledged that the impacts of climate change will cost Quebec dearly. “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, “he said.
In this context of multiplication of 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. This must be emphasized to the population,” added the minister responsible for the plan to combat global warming.