Adaptation and Resilience

Durham’s Community Climate Adaptation Plan sets out a vision, goals and actions to help Durham Region adapt to climate change. This strategy was developed in collaboration with Durham Region, local municipalities, Conservation Authorities, energy utilities, and other local stakeholders to make positive change on climate issues. Bringing a “whole of society approach” means working with many different sectors, including infrastructure, buildings, natural systems, agriculture, health, and social services.

Durham Region is undertaking a 10-year strategic update of this Plan, which was approved by Regional Council in 2016. The update will strengthen the Region's ability to respond to severe climate impacts, including heavier rainfall and flooding, ice storms, heat waves, and wildfire smoke. To learn more about the Plan update, visit the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan | Your Durham.

Climate change is already affecting communities across Durham Region, and these impacts are expected to become more frequent and severe in the future. The information below highlights some of the key risks associated with a changing climate, including impacts to public health, infrastructure, agriculture, ecosystems, transportation systems and community well-being.

 

Poster that includes graphs and information for climate trends in Durham Region

As part of the Durham Community Climate Adaptation Plan update, climate projections were developed to better understand how Durham Region's climate is expected to change over the coming decades. These projections provide the scientific foundation for identifying future climate risks and opportunities, supporting informed decision-making, and helping communities, organizations and governments prepare for a changing climate.

 

Durham and the conservation authorities launched Durham TREES, a subsidized rural tree-planting program. The Region and local area municipalities have partnered with LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) on a subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program for homes, multi-unit building and commercial property owners in participating municipalities.  

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Learn about how you can prepare yourself for flooding on the Flood Ready Durham website.

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Adaptation planning uses climate modelling to forecast our future climate. In 2026, Durham Region updated the climate modelling to project our short, medium and long-term forecasts. Read the full climate change projections report here. Explore the climate projection infographics for a quick summary of projected climate trends and impacts.

Based on the climate modelling results, Durham Region is expected to see:

  • Average annual temperature in Durham Region is projected to increase by approximately 6.4°C
  • Hottest day projected to increase from 6.7°C, from a baseline of 32.5°C 
  • Heat waves projected to increase from approximately one per year to five to six per year, with the average duration extending from 2.2 days to 7.5 days
  • Extreme cold days projected to decrease from 25 days to one day by the year 2100
  • Increased precipitation, particularly during the winter and spring
  • More extreme weather events, especially intense storms
  • Longer growing seasons, with an increased risk of pests

Durham is working with conservation authorities and local area municipalities to enhance natural capital, build climate resilience in the natural environment, and enhance the urban forest.

Durham worked with TRCA to develop a Natural System Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment to inform Durham Region’s Natural Heritage System (NHS) science, policy, and planning. Recent watershed planning for the TRCA Carruthers Creek Watershed Plan incorporates climate change into the process.

The impacts of climate change are already being felt by communities in Durham Region. Updated climate modeling projections for Durham Region indicate that these impacts will become more intense and severe over the coming decades.

Several local area municipalities have developed cross-sector Adaptation and Resilience Plans to identify local climate risks, vulnerabilities, and solutions, including: City of Pickering, Town of Ajax, Town of Whitby, and Municipality of Clarington.

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Durham Climate Community Adaptation Plan Practitioner Webinar Series (2021):

Ecosystem services tools:

According to recent climate projections, the number of extreme heat days, heat waves, and urban heat islands Durham experiences are expected to increase in the future.

Visit Durham Region Health Department to learn more about health impacts of climate change, who is most at risk, and what is being done to protect residents from the impacts of climate change.

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Growing Resilience, the Durham Region Agriculture Sector Climate Adaptation Strategy, will help Durham’s agricultural community proactively adapt to climate change. The strategy identifies risks, presents programs and tools, and outlines an action plan to help Durham’s agricultural sector remain resilient. 

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Durham Climate Community Adaptation Plan Practitioner Webinar Series (2021):

Contact Us

The Regional Municipality of Durham
605 Rossland Road East
Whitby, Ontario Canada L1N 6A3

Telephone: 311 (within region limits)
Telephone: 905-668-7711
Toll-Free: 1-800-372-1102
TTY: Use 711

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