Climate change

The link between wildfires, extreme weather, and climate change

The link between wildfires, extreme weather, and climate change is increasingly evident. With these events comes significant and costly implications for communities across the globe.

The following resource summarizes some of the latest studies around the implications of extreme weather in Canada and the world.

Costs of climate change

  • Since 2010, the costs of weather-related disasters and catastrophic events have amounted to about 5% to 6% of Canada’s annual GDP growth, up from an average of 1% in previous decades, according to the Canadian Climate Institute. Climate-induced damages are set to slow Canada’s economic growth in 2025 by $25 billion annually, which is equal to 50% of projected GDP growth in that year.
  • The Canadian Climate Institute records the cost of specific extreme weather events across the country in an online tracker
  • In the insurance industry, nine out of the most costly 10 years in Canada ever have occurred since 2011.

Wildfires

  • Climate change more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fire weather conditions in Eastern Canada in 2023, according to the World Weather Attribution Initiative.
  • The 2024 wildfires across western Canada burned through 5.3 million hectares, about the size of Nova Scotia, making it the second-most destructive year in terms of area burned this century.
  • In Jasper, B.C., Climate Central found that high temperatures in July 2024, around the time the fires started, were made twice as likely due to climate change.
  • The devastating 2024 wildfire in Jasper resulted in the evacuation of 25,000 residents and visitors, the loss of 358 buildings, and over $880 million in insured damage.
  • The 2016 Fort McMurray fire—Canada’s costliest disaster—was 1.5 to six times more likely because of climate change. Another study found that pressure vapour defects, which increased the fire risk, were made worse by climate change. 
  • B.C.’s record-breaking 2017 wildfires were made one to four times more likely, while the area burned was 7 to 11 times bigger.
  • Climate change is expected to result in a 41% increase in the frequency of lightning worldwide as we near the end of the century, with the western coast of North America listed as one of the areas most at risk. Lightning is the leading cause of wildfire ignition in B.C.
  • The health costs of wildfires between June 4 and June 8 of 2023 are estimated to be $1.28 billion in Ontario alone.
  • Natural Resources Canada estimates the fire protection costs could double in Canada by 2040 as we attempt to keep up with worsening risk. 

Heatwaves

Floods and storms 

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