New Report on Climate Impacts and Ontario’s Public Buildings

A report released today by The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario examines the costs of three climate impacts on Ontario’s public buildings: extreme rainfall, extreme heat and freeze-thaw cycles. The report, Costing Climate Change Impacts to Public Infrastructure (CIPI): Buildings finds that under a medium emissions scenario, these climate impacts will, on average, add about $800 million dollars annually to the costs of operating and maintaining these buildings, an increase of about 8%. Under a high emissions scenario, the costs are higher, at an additional $1.5 billion dollars annually, an increase of about 15%. While a projected reduction in freeze-thaw cycles will modestly reduce costs, this is more than offset by increased costs from extreme heat and rainfall. The report also found that the cost of adaptation is modestly less than the cost of not adapting. Adapting buildings would likely bring some significant co-benefits, such as minimizing costs associated with disruptions in public services.

Read the report.

Read the CIPI backgrounder that describes the climate projections and costing methodology.