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Climate change in Quebec

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Climate change has social, environmental and economic effects on the province of Quebec, and the topic is present in the province's public discussion, politics and thought. Climate in Quebec has been found to be warming at a higher rate than the average worldwide change,[1] with some sources alleging a rate twice the global average.[2][3] This is consistent with findings that northern environments tend to heat up faster than the global average for multiple reasons, including changes in albedo due to diminishing ice and snow cover, particularly in the Arctic.[4][5]

Impacts of climate change in Quebec

[edit]

Forest fires

[edit]

The risk and intensity of forest fires in Quebec and the rest of Canada have been shown to be increased by anthropogenic climate change.[6]

2023 forest fires

[edit]

Summer 2023's intense, record-breaking fire season was fuelled by unusually hot and dry weather conditions and early snowmelt associated to climate change.[7][8][9][6] The province's forest cover was extensively damaged, with an approximative 4.5 million hectares burnt in Quebec alone,[7][10] and a total of 15 million hectares across Canada.[6] Several impacts, beyond the impacts on the forests' ecosystems, occurred, Smoke traveled extreme distances and reduced air quality, reaching New York City, Europe and even northwestern China.[7][11][12] Some communities (Non-Indigenous and Indigenous) were forced to evacuate to avoid the fires.[6][7] From a monetary perspective, the economic damage has been estimated by some to be approximately 8 billion dollars (CAD).[8]

Changes in precipitation patterns

[edit]

With climate change, precipitation patterns, abundance and the frequency of extreme events are changing.[13] Yearly precipitations have increased over the past decades,[13][14] and intense precipitation events in Quebec are projected to become more common as climate change worsens.[15] These increases may in turn lead to an increase in flood risk[16] and therefore likelihood of climate-related damages.

Floods

[edit]

Increases in flood frequency, extent and intensity linked to climate change are projected for Quebec.[17][18][19][20] Some papers also suggest that climate change-linked increases in floods are already ongoing.[21] Floods are particularly dangerous by...

  • physically harming people directly (drowning, blunt force) but also indirectly (through the spread of diseases);
  • psychologically harming people;
  • damaging or destroying infrastructure[17]

Changes in flood predictions have caused ripples in the public sphere due to their impact on property values and property building.[22][23][24][25]

Agriculture

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Impacts of climate change on agriculture in Quebec are mixed. The main positive impact is an increase in yearly productivity for certain crops due to a longer growing season.[26] However, other crops may instead see their productivity decline.[27] Dry periods, intense precipitation, changes in freeze-thaw patterns, and new invasive species now surviving in Quebec due to the warmer annual temperatures can also destroy crops.[28][26] Some of these climate change-related impacts were felt by some vegetable producers in 2023.[29][30]

Seasonal changes

[edit]

Winters in Quebec are expected to see warmer temperatures, less snow and more rain.[31] This may have significant impacts on activities that depend on snow, such as ski, their operation and associated economic revenue.[32][33]

Pest proliferation

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Warming associated to climate change supports the rapid spread northwards of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), which can transmit the bacteria causing Lyme disease to humans in Quebec.[34][35][36][37]

Eco-anxiety

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Many Quebec residents have reported feeling eco-anxiety related to climate change. A 2021 Léger poll revealed that 73% of consulted adults between the ages of 18 and 34 in Quebec reported feeling eco-anxiety,[38][39] and in 2022-2023, the governmental Institut de la statistique du Québec conducted a research on secondary school students, of which the majority disclosed feeling eco-anxiety at least "sometimes".[40]

Government

[edit]

Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP)

[edit]

Source:[41]

The Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, often abbreviated to MELCCFP, is the province's main governmental institution responsible for the provincial government's fight against climate change.[42] It is headed by the Ministre de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.[43] Its mandate covers climate action and policy, but also biodiversity conservation, national parks, hydroelectric dam safety, and many other environment-related issues.[42]

Policies

[edit]

Système de plafonnement et d’échange de droits d’émission de gaz à effet de serre (SPEDE)

[edit]

The SPEDE is a Quebec-specific cap-and-trade carbon pricing scheme linked with California's as part of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI).[44][45] Quebec introduced its system in 2013 and linked it to California's the next year, in 2014.[45] Canada's federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act requires provinces to either use the federal carbon pricing system or create an equivalent or more stringent provincial scheme; the SPEDE formally fulfills that role.[46]

The latter persists despite the Canadian federal government's removal of the fuel charge component of its carbon pricing scheme in 2025.[47][48] According to the Quebec government, all proceeds from the SPEDE are invested in a climate change fund.[48]

Plan pour une économie verte 2030

[edit]

Source:[49]

The Plan pour une économie verte 2030 is the Quebec government's main roadmap for climate goals and action. It sets a goal of a 37.5% reduction of the province's GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, and emphasizes electrification as a means to reach it[50] (94% of electricity in Quebec was already produced by hydroelectric dams in 2023[51][52]). However, the precise steps to reach this goal are set by the Plan de mise en oeuvre du Plan pour une économie verte 2030, "a 5-year plan reviewed annually" and "centred on three guiding pillars"[53]:

  1. "Réduire les émissions de GES et accélérer la transition énergétique" (Reduce GHG emissions and accelerate the energy transition)[53]
  2. "S'adapter aux impacts des changements climatiques" (Adapt to the impacts of climate change)[53]
  3. "Soutenir la transformation de la société et de l'économie" (Support society's and the economy's transformation)[53]

Agreements and memberships

[edit]

Stated support for the Paris Agreement

[edit]

In 2017, the Government of Quebec has confirmed its support for the Paris Agreement in the Assemblée nationale, Quebec's national assembly.[54] However, as a province, it is not a signatory to the Agreement itself.[55]

Western Climate Initiative

[edit]

Quebec joined the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) in 2008,[56] an institution that promotes and supports emissions trading in North America.[57]

Under2 Coalition

[edit]

Quebec is a member of the Under2 Coalition.[58]

Public mobilization

[edit]

Several displays of public mobilization have occurred in Quebec relating to climate change, such as Fridays for Future, Marche Climat Montréal and Rage Climatique.[59][60][61]

2019 Fridays for Future march

[edit]

In 2019, Montreal had a Fridays for Future march with the notable presence of activist Greta Thunberg, reportedly rallying over 500,000 people.[62][63][61]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Comprendre la science du climat - changements au Québec". Ouranos (in French). Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  2. ↑ Shields, Alexandre (2025-11-08). "Un Québec bouleversé par un climat perturbé". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  3. ↑ "Canada's changing climate report.: En4-368/2019E-PDF - Government of Canada Publications - Canada.ca". publications.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  4. ↑ Graversen, Rune Grand; White, Rachel H.; Vihma, Timo (2025-12-09). "Enhanced weather persistence due to amplified Arctic warming". Communications Earth & Environment. 6 (1) 997. doi:10.1038/s43247-025-03050-1. ISSN 2662-4435.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  5. ↑ Rantanen, Mika; Karpechko, Alexey Yu.; Lipponen, Antti; Nordling, Kalle; Hyvärinen, Otto; Ruosteenoja, Kimmo; Vihma, Timo; Laaksonen, Ari (2022-08-11). "The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979". Communications Earth & Environment. 3 (1) 168. doi:10.1038/s43247-022-00498-3. ISSN 2662-4435.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jain, Piyush; Barber, Quinn E.; Taylor, Stephen W.; Whitman, Ellen; Castellanos Acuna, Dante; Boulanger, Yan; Chavardès, Raphaël D.; Chen, Jack; Englefield, Peter; Flannigan, Mike; Girardin, Martin P.; Hanes, Chelene C.; Little, John; Morrison, Kimberly; Skakun, Rob S. (2024-08-20). "Drivers and Impacts of the Record-Breaking 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada". Nature Communications. 15 (1): 6764. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-51154-7. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 11335882. PMID 39164286.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Boulanger; et al. (2024). "The 2023 wildfire season in Québec: : an overview of extreme conditions, impacts, lessons learned, and considerations for the future". Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 55: 1–21. doi:10.1139/cjfr-2023-0298. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  8. 1 2 Olivier, Annabelle (August 22, 2025). "Record-breaking wildfire season in 2023 cost Quebec more than $8B, new study finds". CBC News. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  9. ↑ Shingler, Benjamin (August 22, 2023). "Climate change made weather conditions that powered Quebec fires twice as likely, scientists say". CBC News. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  10. ↑ Mackey, Brendan; Bhatt, Tek Raj; Norman, Patrick; DellaSala, Dominick; Rogers, Brendan M.; Hugh, Sonia (2025-12-23). "Exploring the determinants of the 2023 Quebec, Canada, mega-wildfire burn severity". International Journal of Wildland Fire. 34 (12) WF24175. doi:10.1071/WF24175. ISSN 1049-8001.
  11. ↑ Cortes-Ramirez, Javier; Singh, Vishal; Wang, Jialu; Michael, Ruby N. (July 2025). "The Covid-19 hospitalization risk associated with air pollution in New York state counties after the 2023 Quebec wildfires". Journal of Public Health Research. 14 (3) 22799036251361430. doi:10.1177/22799036251361430. ISSN 2279-9036. PMC 12344232. PMID 40808985.
  12. ↑ Wang, Zhe; Wang, Zifa; Zou, Zhiyin; Chen, Xueshun; Wu, Huangjian; Wang, Wending; Su, Hang; Li, Fang; Xu, Wenru; Liu, Zhihua; Zhu, Jiaojun (April 2024). "Severe Global Environmental Issues Caused by Canada's Record-Breaking Wildfires in 2023". Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. 41 (4): 565–571. doi:10.1007/s00376-023-3241-0. ISSN 0256-1530.
  13. 1 2 Vincent, L.A.; Zhang, X.; Mekis, é.; Wan, H.; Bush, E.J. (2018-10-20). "Changes in Canada's Climate: Trends in Indices Based on Daily Temperature and Precipitation Data". Atmosphere-Ocean. 56 (5): 332–349. doi:10.1080/07055900.2018.1514579. ISSN 0705-5900.
  14. ↑ "Précipitations - Changements observés". Ouranos (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  15. ↑ Rousseau, Alain N.; Klein, Iris M.; Freudiger, Daphné; Gagnon, Patrick; Frigon, Anne; Ratté-Fortin, Claudie (November 2014). "Development of a methodology to evaluate probable maximum precipitation (PMP) under changing climate conditions: Application to southern Quebec, Canada". Journal of Hydrology. 519: 3094–3109. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.10.053.
  16. ↑ "Précipitations - Changements projetés". Ouranos (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  17. 1 2 Valois, Pierre; Tessier, Maxime; Bouchard, David; Talbot, Denis; Morin, Alexandre J. S.; Anctil, François; Cloutier, Geneviève (December 2020). "Monitoring the evolution of individuals' flood-related adaptive behaviors over time: two cross-sectional surveys conducted in the Province of Quebec, Canada". BMC Public Health. 20 (1) 1643. doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09763-6. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 7607874. PMID 33143677.
  18. ↑ "Crues et inondations - Changements projetés". Ouranos (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  19. ↑ Batchabani, Essoyeke; Sormain, Elsa; Fuamba, Musandji (December 2016). "Potential Impacts of Projected Climate Change on Flooding in the Riviere Des Prairies Basin, Quebec, Canada: One-Dimensional and Two-Dimensional Simulation-Based Approach". Journal of Hydrologic Engineering. 21 (12) 05016032. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001461. ISSN 1084-0699.
  20. ↑ Roy, Luc; Leconte, Robert; Brissette, François P.; Marche, Claude (November 2001). "The impact of climate change on seasonal floods of a southern Quebec River Basin". Hydrological Processes. 15 (16): 3167–3179. doi:10.1002/hyp.323. ISSN 0885-6087.
  21. ↑ Ouellet, C.; Saint-Laurent, D.; Normand, F. (February 2012). "Flood events and flood risk assessment in relation to climate and land-use changes: Saint-François River, southern Québec, Canada". Hydrological Sciences Journal. 57 (2): 313–325. doi:10.1080/02626667.2011.645475. ISSN 0262-6667.
  22. ↑ Gaudette, Marilyne; Germain, Daniel (January 2026). "Flood risk and land-use governance in Quebec, Canada: Fifty years of crises and institutional reform". Environmental Science & Policy. 175 104295. doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104295.
  23. ↑ Ducas, Isabelle (2024-10-16). "Zones inondables: Qu'est-ce qui attend les propriétaires ?". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  24. ↑ Ducas, Isabelle (2024-09-30). "Révision de la cartographie: Deux fois plus de bâtiments en zone inondable dans le Grand Montréal". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  25. ↑ ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Politique- (2025-06-14). "Zones inondables : de nouveaux quartiers bientôt en eaux troubles à Gatineau?". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  26. 1 2 "Agriculture - Impacts". Ouranos. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  27. ↑ Nanfouet, Marco Alberto; Epule, Terence Epule; Kpadé, Cokou Patrice; Lafontaine, Simon; Perez, Liliana; Peng, Changhui; Molua, Ernest L. (2025-10-30), Projections of climate change impacts on crop production in Quebec, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-7622108/v1, retrieved 2026-04-07
  28. ↑ Nanfouet, Marco Alberto; Epule, Terence Epule; Kpadé, Cokou Patrice; Lafontaine, Simon; Perez, Liliana; Peng, Changhui; Molua, Ernest L. (2025-10-30), Projections of climate change impacts on crop production in Quebec, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-7622108/v1, retrieved 2026-04-07
  29. ↑ Baril, Hélène (2023-09-18). "Les légumes du Québec victimes des changements climatiques". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  30. ↑ Champagne, Sarah (2023-12-20). "Les maraîchers frappés de plein fouet par le climat en 2023".
  31. ↑ "Changements climatiques : que deviendront les hivers au Québec ?". Ouranos (in French). 2025-12-18. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  32. ↑ "Diagnostic de la vulnérabilité du système ski québécois aux changements climatiques". Ouranos (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  33. ↑ Hewer, Micah J.; Gough, William A. (April 2018). "Thirty years of assessing the impacts of climate change on outdoor recreation and tourism in Canada". Tourism Management Perspectives. 26: 179–192. doi:10.1016/j.tmp.2017.07.003.
  34. ↑ "Cartes de répartition actuelle et future des tiques Ixodes scapularis en contexte de changements climatiques | INSPQ". Institut national de santé publique du Québec (in French). 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  35. ↑ "Effets des changements climatiques : la maladie de Lyme prend de l'ampleur au Québec". Ouranos (in French). 2024-06-07. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  36. ↑ Michalkiewicz, Anita; Bélanger, Stéphanie Perrier; Ogden, Nick (2024-05-14). "Changements climaTIQUES : maladies infectieuses, tiques et réchauffement de la planète". Gouvernement du Canada.
  37. ↑ Westcott, Jacob R.; Bowden, Joseph J.; Savage, Jade; Doody, Karen M. (November 2025). "Rapid Northward Expansion of the Blacklegged Tick, Ixodes scapularis , in Response to Climate Change". Global Change Biology. 31 (11) e70591. doi:10.1111/gcb.70591. ISSN 1354-1013. PMC 12590538. PMID 41195696.
  38. ↑ La Presse canadienne (2023-01-07). "Les jeunes Québécois sont les moins optimistes par rapport à la crise climatique". ICI Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  39. ↑ "Faut-il s'inquiéter de l'écoanxiété des jeunes?". Québec Science (in French). 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  40. ↑ Institut de la statistique du Québec. "Écoanxiété". Vitrine statistique sur les jeunes de 15 à 29 ans.
  41. ↑ "Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs". www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  42. 1 2 "Mission et mandats du ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs". Québec.
  43. ↑ "Ministère de l'Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs". Québec.
  44. ↑ "Canada - Québec Cap-and-Trade System | International Carbon Action Partnership". icapcarbonaction.com. 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  45. 1 2 "Le marché du carbone, un outil pour la croissance économique verte!". www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  46. ↑ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2021-07-12). "The federal carbon pollution pricing benchmark". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  47. ↑ Canada, Department of Finance (2025-03-22). "Removing the consumer carbon price, effective April 1, 2025". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  48. 1 2 "Le marché du carbone, un outil pour la croissance économique verte!". www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  49. ↑ "Plan pour une économie verte 2030". Gouvernement du Québec.
  50. ↑ "Plan pour une économie verte 2030: Politique-cadre d'électrification et de lutte contre les changements climatiques" (PDF). Gouvernement du Québec. p. 1.
  51. ↑ "L'énergie renouvelable au Canada". Canada Energy Regulator - Régie de l'énergie du Canada. 2026.
  52. ↑ "Énergie". Ouranos (in French). Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  53. 1 2 3 4 "Le plan de mise en œuvre du Plan pour une économie verte 2030". Gouvernement du Québec.
  54. ↑ "Communiqué de presse". www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  55. ↑ "List of Parties that signed the Paris Agreement on 22 April". United Nations Sustainable Development. 2016-04-20. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  56. ↑ "History". westernclimateinitiative.org. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  57. ↑ "Greenhouse gas emissions trading: a cost-effective solution to climate change | WCI, Inc." WCI, Inc. March 2026. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  58. ↑ "Our network". Climate Group. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  59. ↑ "Marche Climat Montréal". ActionClimat.ca. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  60. ↑ Tanguay, Sébastien (2023-09-27). "La jeunesse étudiante lance un cri de «rage climatique»". Le Devoir.
  61. 1 2 Shingler, Benjamin (2019-09-27). "'We are changing the world': Greta Thunberg addresses hundreds of thousands at Montreal climate march". CBC News.
  62. ↑ "Watch: Greta Thunberg speaks at press conference ahead of climate march in Montreal". Montreal Gazette. 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  63. ↑ "Thunberg leads 500,000 at Montreal rally". dw.com. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
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