Navigating Canada’s Climate Crisis: Harnessing Earth Observation for Resilience and Adaptation

Year 2023 now ranks as the fourth-worst year for insured losses in Canada, according to Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), as severe weather events such as hail, wildfire, wind, and flood events collectively caused over $3.1 billion in insured damage.

While weather catastrophes driven by climate change is a reality all over the world, it holds particularly true for Canada, a country warming at twice the global average and over three times faster in its northern regions. From melting permafrost in the Arctic to an increased frequency of extreme weather events across the country, the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly evident here.

This underscores the urgency of Canada’s aggressive climate strategy, which reaffirms its commitment to lower emissions and combat climate change through the introduction of new programs and fine-tuning its path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Earth Observation (EO) holds a crucial place in the government’s climate strategy, serving as a key tool for monitoring.

Strategy for Satellite Earth Observation

Canada’s Strategy for Satellite Earth Observation, Resourceful, Resilient, Ready, unveiled in 2022, seeks to advance new missions to study issues that matter most to Canadians, such as the Arctic, air quality, water management, and forest fires. The strategy included an investment of $8 million in grants for 21 organizations across the country to advance innovative applications in Earth observation for  sustainable development.

Further, the announcement last year to invest $1 billion (US$739 million) over the next 15 years in the Radarsat mission is very much part of the federal government’s climate resilience strategy.

The Radarsat satellite series has been a pivotal component of Canada’s climate change strategy and international disaster response, and holds an even greater significance at a time when the country is grappling with unprecedented extreme weather events. The hefty investment towards the Radarsat+ initiative, as announced Oct. 18, 2023 is focused on ensuring steady access to “crucial and high-quality Earth observation data”. The goal is simple: bolstering Canada’s resilience in the face of climate change and stepping up the capacity to respond to increasingly severe natural disasters.

Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

The rapidly changing climate and increasingly frequent and severe related hazards are taking a toll on the service and durability of  infrastructure and buildings and the safety and security of Canadians and their homes.

Climate-informed decisions can lower the total cost of asset ownership, increase service reliability (fewer power outages) and better protect communities. According to the Canadian Climate Institute, for every dollar spent on adaptation measures today, $13-$15 will be returned in years ahead in direct and indirect benefits. In the long term, ensuring infrastructure resilience to climate change benefits people and the economy.

Earth observation (EO) plays a crucial role in enhancing climate-resilient infrastructure across Canada. Infrastructure Canada (INFC) collaborates with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to create knowledge and guidance for climate resilience. Key initiatives include:

• Practical Guidance for Private-side Drainage Systems to Reduce Basement Flood Risk: Addressing Critical Information Gaps, 2021
• Climate Resilience Buildings: Guideline for Management of Overheating Risk in Residential Buildings, 2021
• National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires, 2021
• Infrastructure in Permafrost: A Guideline for Climate Change Adaptation, 2019

By integrating EO data and climate-informed decisions, Canada can enhance infrastructure resilience, protect communities, and promote sustainable development.

Mitigating wildfires

According to a latest report from the World Resource Institute (WRI), Canada’s lost five times more tree cover due to fire in 2023 than the year before. The extensive fires ravaged a vast expanse of boreal forests — nearly three times more than any other year — resulting in what would have been a 4% decline in global forest loss becoming a staggering 24% increase compared to the previous year.

What’s alarming is that despite being in the middle of winter, there were several reports of 149 active wildfires burning across Canada in February 2024! These “zombie fires” are holdovers from the previous summer and typically go dormant over winter, but dry conditions and warm temperatures throughout the winter have fuelled this ongoing wildfire crisis and could get worse in 2024.

Canada spends approximately $1 billion annually on firefighting, but indirect costs can escalate to several billion dollars due to property damage, infrastructure loss, evacuations, and impacts on sectors like tourism, forestry, and energy. 

To address the worsening wildfire situation, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), is collaborating with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), and the Canadian Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) to create a wildfire monitoring satellite system. With a launch time of 2029, WildFireSat will consist of satellites equipped with infrared sensors that will measure the energy emitted by wildfires to track the hazards and assess their impacts for timely decision-making.

Navigating Coastal Vulnerability

Canada’s coastlines are already vulnerable due to extensive length, diverse ecosystems, and susceptibility to shifting environmental dynamics. The issue is now compounded by the impacts of climate change. With rising sea levels, altered precipitation patterns, and more frequent, intense storms, coastal erosion, flooding, and heightened storm surge risks loom large, affecting coastal communities and infrastructure. Innovative collaborations between government bodies, research entities, and private industry are harnessing EO data and technologies for safeguarding Canada’s coastal resilience.

 The Coastal Adaptation Toolkit, developed by Climatlantic, assists Atlantic rural coastal communities and property owners in planning for climate change effects. It addresses issues related to erosion and short- and long-term flooding impacts. The toolkit provides guidance on strategies, tools, and adaptation options, including both engineering and nature-based approaches.  

Similarly, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) initiated the Mapping and Monitoring Coastal Erosion in Nova Scotia (MMCENS) program. The initiative harnesses EO data to identify vulnerable coastal regions, map geology, select erosion monitoring sites, and create accessible reports for public awareness.

Reducing Natural Hazard Risks

Public Safety Canada’s initiative Building a Resilient Canada identifies essential actions to reduce vulnerability and exposure to natural hazards. One of the key opportunities highlighted in this report is the importance of ensuring timely, comprehensive, accessible, and reliable data on extreme weather events at a pan-Canadian level. Similar to how Statistics Canada data supports economic management and planning, the availability of such extreme event data can enhance disaster risk response and climate adaptation planning and implementation.

EO data plays a crucial role in assessing the vulnerability and risk of climate-related hazards, such as floods, droughts, wildfires, and coastal erosion. In combination with geographic information systems (GIS) and modelling tools, researchers can identify areas that are most susceptible to climate-related disasters and assess the potential impacts on communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems.

Enhancing Agricultural Resilience

Satellite data is increasingly being used to monitor agricultural productivity, assess crop health and yield, and identify strategies for mitigating climate risks.

For instance, the Canadian Crop Yield Forecaster (CCYF) uses a mix of satellite and climate information to forecast crop yields both during and after the growing season. Information generated by the CCYF is critical to agricultural monitoring, as it affects both economic forecasting and risks to agricultural production, such as those from weather and climate (e.g. drought, flash floods, untimely rains, frost, hail, and storms). At the individual farm level, Canadian companies use satellite EO and advanced analytics to generate online services for customers to pinpoint and better manage unproductive or problematic areas of farmland.

It is estimated that increased use of satellite EO-based technologies within the agricultural sector could produce cost savings to Canadian farmers up to an estimated $1.3 billion over the next decade.

Air quality monitoring  

Air quality monitoring has reached new heights with the advent of satellites equipped with Earth Observation (EO) sensors. These advanced technologies enable the detection and measurement of various pollutants, ranging from particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide to sulfur dioxide, methane, and carbon monoxide, across expansive geographic regions.

What’s particularly noteworthy is the emerging focus on methane monitoring from space, gaining traction as a crucial aspect of air quality assessment. With methane being a potent greenhouse gas and a significant contributor to climate change, its accurate monitoring from space has become increasingly important.

By harnessing EO data, authorities can not only pinpoint pollution sources but also track air quality trends over time. This comprehensive understanding allows for the development of effective strategies for pollution mitigation and the protection of public health.

Furthermore, integrating satellite data with ground-based monitoring networks enhances spatial coverage and accuracy, providing policymakers with invaluable insights for evidence-based decision-making to safeguard air quality and human well-being.

Building a Resilient Canada

International efforts have underscored the critical role of satellites in collecting over half of the essential observations required to comprehend our evolving climate. Aligned with the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Canada has pledged to procure new satellite data to aid in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Globally, nations are investing in supporting their scientists and positioning their economies and populations to flourish in a changing climate. Building upon its track record of innovation in Earth Observation science, Canada can better prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change, safeguarding communities, ecosystems, and livelihoods for generations to come.

It will take a whole-of-government approach with active collaboration with the private industry and academia, supported by ongoing innovation initiatives, to achieve our shared goals.