Canada has a marine coastline twice as long as any other country and shares four Great Lakes with the United States.
Canada has a marine coastline twice as long as any other country and shares four Great Lakes with the United States. A new report warns that without coordinated planning, coastal communities face increasing flooding and erosion as climate change accelerates.
The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with the Standards Council of Canada, developed new national guidance to help governments and communities strengthen shoreline resilience. The report, Managing Rising Risks: Climate-Resilient Shorelines for Canada, provides a practical framework for developing Regional Shoreline Management Plans (RSMPs) that integrate science, policy, and local priorities.
In recent weeks, the vulnerability of Canada’s shorelines became evident when the remnants of Hurricane Melissa forced evacuations in Newfoundland and Labrador as wind-driven waters surged over seawalls. As storms and hurricanes intensify due to irreversible climate change, strengthening Canada’s marine and Great Lakes shorelines is essential to protect communities and secure Canada’s capacity to conduct commerce through coastal ports.
Read more at: University of Waterloo
