How B.C. is preparing for climate change

Preparing for climate change strengthens our capacity to anticipate and respond to sudden events like wildfires, floods and heatwaves, while also helping us to respond to changes that happen more slowly like loss of habitat and rising sea levels. By planning ahead and acting early to adapt, we can be ready for the challenges and new possibilities the changing climate may bring. 

B.C.'s Climate Preparedness and Adaptation Strategy highlights the overall direction and actions the Province is taking to help ensure we prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

On this page

Wildfire preparedness and resilience​

• The Community Resiliency Investment program helps build and maintain resilient communities throughout the province
• B.C.’s cultural and prescribed fire initiative helps reduce the intensity of naturally occurring wildfires by restoring fire to the landscape to help maintain a healthy, wildfire-resilient forest and the diversity of plant and animal life
• In partnership with the Province, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC works to foster healthier, more productive forests that reduce wildfire risk, improve habitat and generate economic activity
• B.C. is expanding the use of predictive technologies to improve wildfire preparedness, response and recovery
• BC Wildfire Service works with a range of partners, including First Nations, local governments, emergency management and the forestry industry, to collaboratively manage wildfires
• FireSmart BC provides practical guidance to people in B.C. to reduce wildfire risk around communities, homes and properties
• B.C.'s Wildfire Land-Based Recovery program helps reduce the negative impacts of wildfires through a range of post-fire actions, including wildfire suppression rehabilitation, natural hazard risk analysis and ecological recovery
• Thompson Rivers University and the BC Wildfire Service have partnered to advance wildfire research, education, training and innovation with the recent launch of the Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency

Water sustainability

• B.C.’s drought preparation and response tools and resources help people and communities take early action and stay safe through drought
• The Water Sustainability Act includes regulatory tools to protect and manage water use throughout the province
• Drought in agriculture resources support B.C.'s agriculture sector to prepare for drought and optimize their water use
• The Province and Cowichan Tribes are in the process of developing a water sustainability plan to address exceptionally low flows and increasing demand for water use in the Koksilah River watershed (Xwulqw'selu Sta'lo') on Vancouver Island

Extreme heat

• The Province offers resources on how to be prepared and stay safe from extreme heat, including links to alerts and guidance from BC Centre for Disease Control and regional health authorities
• The BC Provincial Heath Alert Response System (PDF, 1.4MB) warns the public about heat risk, alerting individuals and communities to prepare and protect themselves both before and during a heat wave
• HealthLinkBC provides public information on avoiding and responding to heat-related illness
• The Province worked with First Nations organizations to develop educational and public awareness materials for staying safe during extreme heat

Ocean warming and marine impacts

• The Province completed the B.C. Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia (OAH) Action Plan (PDF, 34MB) which identifies five goals, 15 objectives and 62 actions to address ocean acidification. The Scientific Assessment for the B.C. OAH Action Plan (PDF, 18.2MB) was also prepared as a companion document
• ​B.C. and its partners in the Pacific Coast Collaborative have been monitoring and advancing research as part of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification
• The Climate Ready BC Seafood Program aims to enhance understanding of OAH in B.C. and support the resilience of B.C.’s coastal food security
• In partnership with the B.C. government, BC Shellfish Growers Association, Vancouver Island University and the Hakai Institute are developing shellfish breeding programs to adapt locally grown shellfish to ocean acidification as part of the Ocean Acidification Shellfish Industry Seed Supply project

Flooding and sea level rise

• Provincial guidance on flood hazard land use management is available, including floodplain mapping
• Guidance has been developed to support the design and construction of dikes, including considerations for future sea level rise
• The B.C. Coastal Marine Strategy establishes the Province's first shared vision for the B.C. coast, guiding decisions over the next 20 years and ensuring we are prepared for the opportunities and risks that tomorrow may bring us
• The B.C. Flood Strategy will better prepare the province for future flood events, including efforts to reduce coastal flood risk from sea level rise

Ecosystem changes

• Climate change considerations are integrated into park and protected areas planning, policy and infrastructure through BC Parks
• B.C. is collaborating with Indigenous communities and others to ensure land management decisions are grounded in the best available information
• BC Parks' Living Lab Program promotes protected areas as places to learn about climate change and manage for its impacts
• Climate change impacts are considered in the planning and delivery of stewardship actions through the Together for Wildlife Strategy
• The Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast initiative is a collaboration between the Province and 17 coastal First Nations that is applying an ecosystem-based management approach to resource stewardship
• The Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation is an agreement between the First Nations Leadership Council, the Canadian government and the Province that expresses a shared commitment to conservation and stewardship
• B.C.'s draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework sets out a common vision for the conservation and management of ecosystem health and biodiversity, especially in the face of climate change

​Agriculture and food security

• The Environmental Farm Plan Program supports farm operations to complete environmental and climate change risk assessments
• The Beneficial Management Practices program supports agricultural producers to implement practices for climate resilience, including for drought and extreme events like heat, flooding and wildfire
• The Climate Change Adaptation Program worked with the agriculture sector, governments and other partners to increase the resilience of B.C. agriculture to the impacts of climate change, including drought, flooding, wildfires, extreme heat, pests and diseases, and increased weather variability
• To support farmers, the Province has developed emergency preparedness, prevention and mitigation resources that help them address and adapt to climate change impacts

​Resilient forests

• B.C.’s climate-based seed transfer strategy helps forests adapt to climate change by using seedlings for reforestation projects that are better adapted to the future climate
• Working in consultation and collaboration with First Nations, forest landscape planning fosters resilient forests and maintains future options and benefits in a changing climate
• Developed by the Future Forest Ecosystem Centre, the Climate Change Informed Species Selection Tool estimates the future environmental suitability of tree species at a site-specific level to help guide climate change adaptation in reforestation decisions
• The Forest Investment Program invests $100 million in projects that help forests sequester carbon, adapt to climate change, recover from wildfires and provide wildlife habitat while partnering with First Nations. The program plants 40 to 50 million trees per year and applies nutrients to over 25,000 hectares of forests with funding from CleanBC and the 2 Billion Trees program

Community adaptation and planning

• The Local Government Climate Action Program provides funding that can support communities in preparing for the impacts of a changing climate
• The Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding program helps to enhance the capacity of First Nations and local governments to withstand and adapt to natural and climate-driven hazards
• The Low Carbon Resilience (LCR) Planning Handbook provides information on integrating low carbon resilience in local government planning
• The Province provides climate adaptation resources, tools and information for communities to learn more about understanding, preparing for and adapting to climate change

Resilient buildings

• BC Health Authorities are working to reduce climate risks in planning and design to enable hospitals, long term care and other facilities to manage risks in operations per the Climate Resilience Guidelines for BC Health Facility Planning and Design
• BC Housing’s Mobilizing Building Adaptation and Resilience partners with more than 30 organizations to develop and pilot resilient building design solutions
• To increase year-round comfort in B.C. homes, the Energy Savings Program provides rebates for heat pumps and other efficiency upgrades to make energy-efficiency retrofits more affordable to British Columbians
• The Province is incrementally increasing energy-efficiency requirements in the BC Building Code to make buildings safer and more resilient to extreme weather events

Cleaner transportation

• The Province continues to refine directives and guidance for incorporating climate adaptation into transportation infrastructure design, construction, operation and maintenance. Engineering design work is expected to evaluate risks and reasonably consider the impacts of future climate change, weather extremes, climate-related events, and shifts in average climate conditions, including preparing for the implications of these changes
• The Systems-Based Approaches to Climate Resilient Infrastructure guidebook presents theoretical foundations, practical tools and methodologies to help users identify connections both within and across infrastructure system components. By uncovering feedback loops and interdependencies, it supports more informed decision-making, ultimately enhancing the resilience of the entire system
• The Province is supporting active transportation by investing in high-quality infrastructure across the province, providing the B.C. Active Transportation Design Guide as a resource, and funding education and encouragement programs

Climate monitoring and assessment

• The Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium and UBC’s ClimateBC are making climate information and tools more widely accessible
• B.C. is strengthening climate monitoring and hydrological monitoring to support decision-making on climate risks and for drought, flood, infrastructure planning, and ecological modelling

Climate literacy and education

• The Province is supporting climate change education in kindergarten to grade 12 through guidance resources for teachers that are aligned with the B.C. curriculum
• The Master of Disaster program helps students in grades 4 to 8 learn about emergency preparedness and the impacts of climate change
• PreparedBC, B.C.'s emergency preparedness education program, incorporates climate change into its guidance materials on preparing for floods, wildfires and severe weather

Emergency management

• B.C. has adopted the United Nations’ Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that recognizes the impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of disasters
• The Province modernized the emergency management legislation to take a more comprehensive approach by placing a focus on disaster risk reduction and enhancing climate resilience
• The Province has ongoing integrated operations with communities and emergency management partners before, during, and after emergency events
• ClimateReadyBC helps communities understand disaster and climate risks, and find funding and supports to enhance resilience