Returns on resilience

Why resilience pays, extreme weather around the world, and keeping communities safe

A new study shows that climate adaptation can be far more than a defensive move—in fact, it can be one of the smartest investments we make.

After analyzing over 300 climate adaptation investments across 12 countries, the World Resources Institute found that, for every $1 USD equivalent spent on resilience, it yields more than $10 in benefits. They calculated an annual average return of 27% through healthier communities, stronger local economies, and more secure infrastructure.

In the health sector alone, investments showed returns as high as 78%, thanks to the benefits of preventing heat stress, controlling mosquito-borne illnesses, and strengthening medical systems. And of course, that’s only what you can measure with money: many positive benefits that can’t be quantified may be even more meaningful.

What makes this so encouraging is that many of these benefits can be realized even if a disaster doesn’t strike. Irrigation systems designed for drought resilience can increase crop yields all year long. Evacuation centers often double as community hubs. Tree-planting projects that stabilize slopes during heavy rainfall also cool neighborhoods, filter air pollution and absorb carbon.

As WRI’s Carter Brandon put it, “Policymakers don’t need a disaster to justify resilience—it’s simply smart development.” And that’s the key takeaway here: climate adaptation isn’t just a safety net. It’s an engine for progress.

This kind of research makes the case for adaptation as an economic no-brainer. Resilience doesn’t just protect us from what’s coming. It helps us thrive, right now.

One of the most noticeable ways climate change is affecting us is through super-sizing extreme weather and climate disasters. Globally, the number of billion-plus dollar weather and climate disasters has more than doubled from an average of 26 per year in the early 2000s to 56 per year nowadays, on average. So it’s no surprise that the last few weeks saw more than their fair share of disasters around the world.

In Switzerland, a glacier collapse nearly buried an entire village a few weeks ago. While early warnings allowed inhabitants to evacuate, many homes were destroyed. Switzerland is warming at twice the global average, and its glaciers are melting at alarming rates—10% of glacier mass disappeared between 2022 and 2023 alone. While geologic factors also played a role in this glacier collapse, ETH Zürich scientists were clear that “substantial glacier retreat over the last century [and] degradation of permafrost,” both of which are occurring due to a warming climate, contributed to this disaster.

In Canada, nearly ten million acres have already been burned by wildfires this year, far surpassing the 25-year average. Tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate, and air quality alerts are in effect across Canada, northern U.S. states, and even Europe! You can see the massive smoke plume stretching across the Atlantic Ocean here and here.

In Nigeria, intense rainfall triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Mokwa and other parts of Niger State. More than 200 people have died, 500 are missing, and thousands have been displaced from their homes. These floods are part of a wider pattern as West Africa is experiencing more extreme and erratic rainfall as the climate warms. Urbanization and deforestation have also increased runoff and overwhelmed outdated drainage systems, turning seasonal rains into life-threatening disasters.

Note: In Canada, the cost of weather-related disasters has doubled in the last twenty years. In the US, billion-plus dollar weather climate disasters have soared from an average of 3 per year in the 1980s to an average of 23 per year the last five years. However, the U.S. billion-dollar disaster index will not be available for 2025, as the NOAA staff who maintained this dataset have been fired by the current U.S. administration and the dataset has been discontinued. More bad news!

In a changing climate, it’s hard to know what to do to keep ourselves and the people and places we love safe. That is what Trenton McIntyre realized when he saw a street near his home in Victoria, BC, flood after heavy rains. After hours of searching online for answers and coming up short, Trent decided to help others find what he couldn’t: clear, affordable, and practical community-rooted support.

Now, he works with My Climate Plan, a Canadian nonprofit helping people across the country prepare for climate emergencies through weekly newsletters, community events, advocacy groups, and more. Their “Don’t Let Canada Burn” campaign has already reached half a million people with its advocacy for better forest management and stronger wildfire response.

My Climate Plan’s work focuses on building partnerships with businesses that care about safety, and with communities often left out of emergency planning. Trent says, “We provide serious discounts on things that make the future safer and improve the day- to-day, like heat pumps, air filters, masks and emergency preparedness kits. We also help prevent deaths from isolation by building stronger networks with events like ‘Heat Buddies.’”

As a member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Trent leads with Indigenous values that center care, connection, and responsibility. “Climate change can be scary,” he says. “But we will get through it in community, whatever that looks like for you.”

Sun June 22 at 6pm MT - "Saving Us: Book Discussion" with Calgary Climate Hub, The Wisdom Centre and the Calgary Interfaith Council, in person at 800 3 St SE Calgary, Alberta - $15