Adaptation resource library

Are you searching for best-in-class and tested resources to help your local government adapt to the challenges of climate change? Check out our curated list of reports, guides, case studies, templates and more, all aimed at supporting you in advancing your community’s climate resilience. 

Our library is organized according to the stages in the adaptation process that many local governments move through during climate resilience work. It is intended for communities in Canada across a range of population sizes, climate readiness levels and climate impacts. We have prioritized resources that centre an equity lens, feature nature-positive solutions and are from the past five years. 

Libraries

These Canadian resource libraries and databases are aimed at a municipal audience to help you find the information and tools most relevant to your needs.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Climate Insight	ICLEI	Portal	This portal features a comprehensive array of climate information, data and tools to advance resilient infrastructure planning. It includes: a map layering socioeconomic, infrastructure, and climate data; a resource library; a learning centre with information on climate impacts; and a solutions finder questionnaire to find tailored resources.
Climate-Related Resources for Local Governments	Government of Canada	Library	This page focuses on risk assessments and adaptation planning. It contains links to climate datasets, tools, guidance and related resources from sources including the federal government, provincial and territorial governments and established international organizations.
CLIMAtlantic AdaptationLibrary	CLIMAtlantic	Library	This library holds a vast collection of climate adaptation documents and tools relevant to Atlantic Canada and beyond.
ClimateData.ca	Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners	Portal	This portal provides recent climate data in accessible formats to support decision-makers. The website’s learning zone provides materials and training to help people better understand climate science.
Climate Atlas of Canada	Prairie Climate Centre	Library	This interactive tool integrates climate science, mapping, videography and storytelling to enhance users’ understanding of climate change in Canada and to inspire action.
Resources, Natural and Nature-Based Climate Change Adaptation Community of Practice	New Brunswick Environmental Network	Library	This page is dedicated to peer-to-peer learning, information exchange and sharing of best practices on natural and nature-based climate change adaptation approaches. The website’s resources section includes a cost/analysis tool, video courses, webinar recordings and a resource library.
Ouranos website	Ouranos	Library	Ouranos is a Quebec-based collaborative innovative hub bringing together a diverse consortium of experts and decision-makers. Their website holds a vast array of data-driven reports, scientific studies and other publications and learning materials.
ORCCA Resource Library	Ontario Resource Centre for Climate Adaptation	Library	This searchable library contains resources and tools to support adaptation work in Ontario, including reports, videos and infographics.
Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium Publications Library	Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium	Library	This repository contains technical and scientific resources on climate impacts, particularly in the Pacific and Yukon regions.
ClimateWest Publications Library	ClimateWest	Library	This library of publications provides climate information relevant to Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, including a repository of reports and guides on climate adaptation.
Intact Centre Reports and Resources	Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation	Library	This collection includes recent reports, infographics and press releases on climate adaptation.
Asset Management Ontario Case Studies	Asset Management Ontario	Case studies	A collection of Ontario-based case studies introducing asset management themes through a climate change lens.
ReTooling Climate Change Adaptation Resources	ReTooling for Climate Change	Library	This searchable database of adaptation tools and resources can be filtered by topic, adaptation stage, resource type and region.
Climate Caucus Handbooks	Climate Caucus	Guide	This collection of toolkits offers inspiring examples, best practices, case studies, sample motions and more to support local government climate action in areas including adaptation and climate justice.

 

Multi-stage resources

These comprehensive resources offer insight on multiple stages of the adaptation process.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Changing Climate, Changing Communities: Guide and Workbook for Municipal Climate Adaptation	ICLEI	Guide	This guidebook acts as a framework, built around milestones, to assist local governments in creating their adaptation plans. It is accompanied by a 17-sheet workbook to help guide the process.
Climate Change Adaptation Resource Pathway	Natural Resources Canada	Tool	This interactive tool guides adaptation practitioners at all levels through a vast array of information and tools related to climate adaptation.
Equitable Climate Adaptation: Considerations for Local Governments	ICLEI	Guide	This resource provides examples and promising practices to dismantle the barriers that prevent local governments from centering equity and community engagement in their adaptation measures.
National Adaptation Strategy	Government of Canada	Strategy	The federal government’s national adaptation strategy, launched in 2022.
Factsheet: Why equity matters in municipal climate adaptation	FCM	Factsheet	This factsheet demystifies the concept of “equitable climate adaptation” by outlining important terminology, explaining why equity matters and discussing how a multi-solving approach that centres equity is integral to successful risk reduction.
Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation Planning Toolkit & Course	Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources	Training	This free, asynchronous online course teaches participants how to use the six guidebooks that comprise the Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation Planning Toolkit developed by CIER.

 

People, partnerships and governance

People, partnerships and governance are the backbone of an effective adaptation journey. They involve securing council commitment and establishing governance structures, resourcing and relationships for internal and external collaboration. Equally important are awareness, education, and engagement activities that meaningfully involve equity-deserving communities.

Title	Source	Type	Description
For our future: Indigenous Resilience Report	Natural Resources Canada	Report	This Indigenous-led report highlights Indigenous knowledge, perspectives and experiences related to climate change impacts and adaptation.
Integrating Climate Considerations: Governance and Operations	FCM	Guide	This resource equips users to integrate climate change considerations into day-to-day municipal operations and governance, highlighting the role of every municipal employee in addressing climate change impacts and providing guidance on questions to ask and tools to use for effective climate action.
Talking it through: Guide for local government staff on climate adaptation	FCM	Guide	This guide supports local government staff in speaking with senior decision-makers and elected officials about climate change and the need to build resilience. It includes various tools and case studies to help guide this work.
Learning Journey: Climate Resilience and Asset Management	FCM	Toolkit	This four-part learning journey consists of an instruction video, two factsheets and a guide to help users navigate the steps of integrating climate resilience into municipal asset management.
Getting Started: Exploring Entry Points into Adaptation	ICLEI	Guide	This resource offers comprehensive guidance on integrating climate change adaptation into municipal decision-making, emphasizing diverse entry points such as asset management, public health and land use planning.
10: A Guide to Advancing Climate Equity Through Place-Based Collaboration	Tamarack Institute	Guide	This comprehensive guide on collaborative, place-based approaches to advancing climate equity is comprised of 10 questions to assess readiness, 10 great ideas, 10 inspiring stories, 10 useful resources and 10 ways to get started.
Practice Guide for Advancing Climate Equity in Coastal Climate Change Adaptation	SHIFT Collaborative, prepared for Natural Resources Canada	Guide	This practical guide offers guiding principles, reflection prompts and potential actions to embed equity in coastal climate change adaptation projects across all stages, from ideation to monitoring and review.
Factsheet: Applying an Indigenous Inclusion Lens to Climate Adaptation	FCM	Factsheet	This factsheet highlights how integrating an Indigenous lens and Indigenous knowledge into climate strategies can enhance resilience and strengthen environmental strategies, as well as contribute to broader goals related to Reconciliation.
Climate-Ready Communities Assessment Tool	FCM	Tool	This tool helps local governments evaluate and improve their climate adaptation strategies through a comprehensive self-assessment and customizable roadmap. The tool offers a clear framework for understanding current resiliency, identifying priority areas for progress, and integrating climate adaptation into municipal processes.
Course: Building Climate Resilience with Asset Management	FCM	Training	This self-paced online course designed for municipal practitioners equips participants with strategies to integrate climate action into asset management planning, including setting levels of service through a resilience lens.
National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires	National Research Council of Canada	Guide	This guide provides research-based best practices on reducing the impact of wildfires in urban-wildland interfaces, including assessing hazards, managing vegetation and construction and enhancing community and emergency planning measures.

 

Risk and adaptation planning

Risk and adaptation planning begins with identifying and evaluating local climate data, risks and vulnerabilities to assess the potential impacts of climate change on a community, including through an equity lens. This assessment then informs the development of a climate adaptation plan, which outlines actions, priorities and objectives to reduce vulnerabilities and increase climate resilience.

Title	Source	Type	Description
ClimateData.ca	Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners	Portal	This portal provides recent climate data in accessible formats to support decision-makers. The website’s learning zone provides materials and training to help people better understand climate science.
Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) Resources	PIEVC	Library	This website contains a variety of information and tools—including a resource catalogue, assessment tool and protocol—that can be used to inform engineering decisions to integrate adaptation measures into infrastructure.
Canada’s Changing Climate Report	Environment and Climate Change Canada	Report	This extensive report, led by Environment and Climate Change Canada and published in 2019, discusses the factors propelling climate change and projections for the future.
Learning Journey: Climate Resilience and Asset Management	FCM	Toolkit	This four-part learning journey consists of an instruction video, two factsheets and a guide to help users navigate the steps of integrating climate resilience into municipal asset management.
Getting Started: Exploring Entry Points into Adaptation	ICLEI	Guide	This resource offers comprehensive guidance on integrating climate change adaptation into municipal decision-making, emphasizing diverse entry points such as asset management, public health and land use planning.
Municipal Flood Risk Check-Up	Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation	Tool	This self-assessment questionnaire helps municipalities assess their specific flood hazards and implement preparedness measures. The resource includes a tool, a report and an infographic.
HealthyPlan.City	The Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE)	Map	This interactive map, with integrated case studies, can be used to analyze various environmental health inequities and inform equity-based adaptation planning. Data is currently available for municipalities larger than 30,000 residents.
From Risk to Resilience: Indigenous Alternatives to Climate Risk Assessment in Canada	Yellowhead Institute	Report	This report presents an approach to risk assessment that is rooted in Indigenous knowledges and takes a holistic view of the broader social-ecological system, in contrast with “standard” risk assessments, which tend to prioritize built infrastructure.
Climate-Ready Communities Assessment Tool	FCM	Tool	This tool helps local governments evaluate and improve their climate adaptation strategies through a comprehensive self-assessment and customizable roadmap. The tool offers a clear framework for understanding current resiliency, identifying priority areas for progress, and integrating climate adaptation into municipal processes.
Course: Building Climate Resilience with Asset Management	FCM	Training	This self-paced online course designed for municipal practitioners equips participants with strategies to integrate climate action into asset management planning, including setting levels of service through a resilience lens.
National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires	National Research Council of Canada	Guide	This guide provides research-based best practices on reducing the impact of wildfires in urban-wildland interfaces, including assessing hazards, managing vegetation and construction and enhancing community and emergency planning measures.

 

Implementation and integration

Implementation and integration involve putting your climate adaptation plan into action by embedding it into organizational systems, processes and decision-making across departments. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation help local governments track progress toward adaptation objectives and refine implementation strategies along the way.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Nature is Infrastructure: How to Include Natural Assets in Asset Management Plans	Natural Assets Initiative	Guide	This guidebook aims to help local governments integrate natural asset management into their planning by bridging the gap between mainstream infrastructure practices and natural asset solutions.
Integrating Climate Considerations: Governance and Operations	FCM	Guide	This resource equips users to integrate climate change considerations into day-to-day municipal operations and governance, highlighting the role of every municipal employee in addressing climate change impacts and providing guidance on questions to ask and tools to use for effective climate action.
Tools: Operations and Maintenance for Climate Resilience	FCM	Tool	This page provides strategies and tools to help municipalities integrate climate considerations into their daily operations and maintenance activities, offering resources such as handbooks, worksheets, and factsheets tailored to different asset classes.
Case Study Series: Using Climate Data to Drive Adaptation	FCM	Case studies	These case studies show how five municipalities used data from the Canadian Centre for Climate Services to improve their resilience.
Talking it through: Guide for local government staff on climate adaptation	FCM	Guide	This guide supports local government staff in speaking with senior decision-makers and elected officials about climate change and the need to build resilience. It includes various tools and case studies to help guide this work.
Learning Journey: Climate Resilience and Asset Management	FCM	Toolkit	This four-part learning journey consists of an instruction video, two factsheets and a guide to help users navigate the steps of integrating climate resilience into municipal asset management.
Climate-Ready Communities Assessment Tool	FCM	Tool	This tool helps local governments evaluate and improve their climate adaptation strategies through a comprehensive self-assessment and customizable roadmap. The tool offers a clear framework for understanding current resiliency, identifying priority areas for progress, and integrating
Course: Building Climate Resilience with Asset Management	FCM	Training	This self-paced online course designed for municipal practitioners equips participants with strategies to integrate climate action into asset management planning, including setting levels of service through a resilience lens.
National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires	National Research Council of Canada	Guide	This guide provides research-based best practices on reducing the impact of wildfires in urban-wildland interfaces, including assessing hazards, managing vegetation and construction and enhancing community and emergency planning measures.

 

Project design

Project design shapes concrete actions that follow up on priorities and opportunities identified through a risk assessment or climate adaptation plan. This phase takes into account factors such as resources, capacity and equity, and involves multiple activities: setting goals and objectives, assessing existing relevant plans and tools that could guide the work, engaging rights holders and stakeholders, assigning roles and responsibilities, and project scoping.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Map of Adaptation Actions	Government of Canada and partners	Library	This interactive, searchable map rounds up case studies of adaptation actions undertaken across Canada.
ClimateData.ca	Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners	Portal	This portal provides recent climate data in accessible formats to support decision-makers. The website’s learning zone provides materials and training to help people better understand climate science.
Case Study Map, Natural and Nature-based Climate Change Adaptation Community of Practice	New Brunswick Environmental Network	Case studies	This map offers details about projects throughout Canada that employ nature-based methods to either mitigate or adapt to climate change.
Codes, Standards and Guidance for Climate Resilience	Infrastructure Canada	Guide	This resource outlines the impact of climate change on Canada’s infrastructure, highlighting the importance of integrating climate resilience considerations into infrastructure planning and decision-making, and shares initiatives to enhance climate resilience through standards, codes and adaptation strategies.
Natural Assets Bolster Climate Resilience	FCM	Library	This page provides resources to help municipalities enhance their understanding, valuation and management of green infrastructure.
Nature-based Infrastructure for Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management: A Canadian Design Guide	National Research Council Canada	Guide	This detailed guide provides evidence-based and technical guidance on selecting, designing and adaptively managing nature-based infrastructure for coastal flood and erosion risk management in Canada.
10: A Guide to Advancing Climate Equity Through Place-Based Collaboration	Tamarack Institute	Guide	This comprehensive guide on collaborative, place-based approaches to advancing climate equity is comprised of 10 questions to assess readiness, 10 great ideas, 10 inspiring stories, 10 useful resources and 10 ways to get started.
Adaptation Actions to Implement Climate Resilience	FCM	Tool	This tool provides extensive examples of adaptation projects, categorized by project type and including information on hazards addressed, co-benefits and tips to maximize impact.
Factsheets: Working with nature to improve infrastructure project outcomes	FCM	Factsheet	This factsheet outlines benefits of and strategies for integrating nature-based solutions into infrastructure project planning, including best practices to enhance biodiversity and a case study.
Practice Guide for Advancing Climate Equity in Coastal Climate Change Adaptation	SHIFT Collaborative, prepared for Natural Resources Canada	Guide	This practical guide offers guiding principles, reflection prompts and potential actions to embed equity in coastal climate change adaptation projects across all stages, from ideation to monitoring and review.
Climate Ready Infrastructure Service	Canadian Urban Institute	Expert Consultation	This capacity-building initiative offers small municipalities and Indigenous communities free guidance from a roster of climate and infrastructure experts to integrate climate resilience into infrastructure projects.
National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires	National Research Council of Canada	Guide	This guide provides research-based best practices on reducing the impact of wildfires in urban-wildland interfaces, including assessing hazards, managing vegetation and construction and enhancing community and emergency planning measures.

 

Project implementation

Project implementation involves putting the project design into action, which often requires procuring expertise and resources. This phase continues to rely on meaningful engagement, collaboration and communication to keep the project on course to meet objectives and achieve equitable impacts.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Map of Adaptation Actions	Government of Canada and partners	Library	This interactive, searchable map rounds up case studies of adaptation actions undertaken across Canada.
Case Study Map, Natural and Nature-based Climate Change Adaptation Community of Practice	New Brunswick Environmental Network	Case studies	This map offers details about projects throughout Canada that employ nature-based methods to either mitigate or adapt to climate change.
Nature-based Infrastructure for Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management: A Canadian Design Guide	National Research Council Canada	Guide	This detailed guide provides evidence-based and technical guidance on selecting, designing and adaptively managing nature-based infrastructure for coastal flood and erosion risk management in Canada.
Adaptation Actions to Implement Climate Resilience	FCM	Tool	This tool provides extensive examples of adaptation projects, categorized by project type and including information on hazards addressed, co-benefits and tips to maximize impact.
Practice Guide for Advancing Climate Equity in Coastal Climate Change Adaptation	SHIFT Collaborative, prepared for Natural Resources Canada	Guide	This practical guide offers guiding principles, reflection prompts and potential actions to embed equity in coastal climate change adaptation projects across all stages, from ideation to monitoring and review.

 

Project monitoring and evaluation

Project monitoring and evaluation assesses and measures a project’s impact once implementation has begun. Through a combination of data-based indicators and stakeholder engagement, project leaders gauge progress towards predefined objectives related to climate resiliency, social equity and more. Regular reporting, communication and outreach are essential to keep rights holders and stakeholders engaged. Insights from ongoing evaluation can inform and be used to adapt implementation strategies and project maintenance, while also providing opportunities to share success stories and lessons learned.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Canada’s Changing Climate Report	Environment and Climate Change Canada	Report	This extensive report, led by Environment and Climate Change Canada and published in 2019, discusses the factors propelling climate change and projections for the future.
Case Study Series: Using Climate Data to Drive Adaptation	FCM	Case studies	These case studies show how five municipalities used data from the Canadian Centre for Climate Services to improve their resilience.
Learning Journey: Climate Resilience and Asset Management	FCM	Toolkit	This four-part learning journey consists of an instruction video, two factsheets and a guide to help users navigate the steps of integrating climate resilience into municipal asset management.
Nature-based Infrastructure for Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management: A Canadian Design Guide	National Research Council Canada	Guide	This detailed guide provides evidence-based and technical guidance on selecting, designing and adaptively managing nature-based infrastructure for coastal flood and erosion risk management in Canada.
Practice Guide for Advancing Climate Equity in Coastal Climate Change Adaptation	SHIFT Collaborative, prepared for Natural Resources Canada	Guide	This practical guide offers guiding principles, reflection prompts and potential actions to embed equity in coastal climate change adaptation projects across all stages, from ideation to monitoring and review.
Climate-Ready Communities Assessment Tool	FCM	Tool	This tool helps local governments evaluate and improve their climate adaptation strategies through a comprehensive self-assessment and customizable roadmap. The tool offers a clear framework for understanding current resiliency, identifying priority areas for progress, and integrating climate adaptation into municipal processes.

 

Financing adaptation

Financing adaptation involves building confidence in climate resilience financial models and fostering investment in climate adaptation by developing sustainable and equitable models. This includes attracting public and private investors to help finance resilient infrastructure.

Title	Source	Type	Description
Cost of doing nothing: A Toolbox for Building a Local Business Case for Adaptation	ICLEI	Toolkit	This toolbox helps municipalities assess the costs of inaction and supports climate adaptation planning by providing guidance on collecting local data and contextualizing it nationally and provincially/territorially.
Investing in Canada’s future: The cost of climate adaptation	FCM	Report	This report highlights the pressing requirement for substantial investments in local climate adaptation, emphasizing the critical role of such investments in helping communities adapt to climate change and mitigate risks from extreme weather events.
Financing Resilient Infrastructure Project	ICLEI	Toolkit	This page describes a collaborative effort in 2023 to identify and prepare resilient infrastructure projects for financing, aiming to leverage private capital alongside public funding to address climate impacts, and shares a toolkit on financing such projects.
Getting Nature into Financial Reporting: Natural Asset Disclosures for Local Governments	Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation	Guide	This guide helps local governments integrate the financial value of the services provided by natural assets such as wetlands, rivers and forests into their financial reports.