CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Introduction & What is Climate Adaptation?
00:03:15 The Intact Centre for Climate Adaptation
00:07:15 Insurance Trends as a Climate Risk Proxy
00:15:30 How Flooding Impacts the Housing Market
00:21:07 Home-Level Flood Protection for $0, $250, $250+; Municipalities offering $3K+ in subsidies to prevent flood
00:26:52 Extreme Weather Risks Across Canada
00:34:08 Corporate Risk & Financial Exposure
00:40:20 The real ROI for Adaptation: $2-10B / yr?
00:46:02 Dawn River and Central Waterfront Project
00:54:29 Global vs. Local Action
00:58:28 Community-Level Actions & Listener Resources
Extreme weather is driving catastrophic insurable losses in Canada, evidenced by record multi-billion-dollar damage and significant drops in flood-prone housing valuations.
In this podcast, Kathryn Bakos, Managing Director of Finance and Resilience at the Intact Centre for Climate Adaptation talks about Canada’s pivot from climate research to the practical, localized implementation of climate adaptation strategies.
In the Climate Centre’s research, proactive risk reduction offers a massive return on investment, saving $2B to $10B in avoided costs for every dollar spent over a decade.
Bakos advocates for individual, zero-cost home maintenance to avoid flooding with major municipal infrastructure projects, corporate physical risk disclosures, and community-driven action, demonstrating that while global emissions mitigation remains vital, building true resilience requires immediate, hands-on intervention at the local level.
Reports from the Intact Finance Centre for Climate Adaptation:
Climate-Ready Guides: https://www.intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca/climate-ready-infographics/
Reports:
https://www.intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca/recent-reports/
Treading Water: Impact of Catastrophic Flooding on Canada’s Housing Market
Transitioning from Rhetoric to Action: Integrating Physical Climate
Change and Extreme Weather Risk into Institutional Investing
Municipal Flood Risk Check-Up: https://www.intactcentreclimateadaptation.ca/municipal-flood-risk-check-up/