Canada’s forests, grasslands, wetlands and ocean are part of the climate change solution. These ecosystems help to mitigate the impacts of climate change by absorbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Learn more about how Canada can prevent further biodiversity loss and improve our resilience to climate change by protecting natural ecosystems in our 2019 Climate Report.

Join the movement to protect 30% of land and ocean in Canada by 2030.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the biggest global crises. Both are caused by activities such as industrial farming, logging, mining, hydro-electric development and oil and gas exploration. Each crisis also exacerbates the other, with climate change causing populations and entire species to go extinct, and the loss of biodiversity making ecosystems more vulnerable to climate change. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that a 1.5° C increase in the global average temperature will put 20-30% of the world’s species at risk of extinction. Canada has already experienced a 1.7° C increase in temperature since 1948 — twice the global average. We must significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent a further increase in temperature and avoid the environmental changes that would come with it.

Canadian governments at all levels have pledged to both reduce the GHG emissions causing climate change and step up measures to protect biodiversity. If the federal government meets its commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce GHG emissions to 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, Canada’s ecosystems will experience greater stability and better support biodiversity. Nature-based solutions, including natural infrastructure, will be an important part of the process.