Consultations with the Quebec business community on climate change adaptation

Climate change has impacts on all of Quebec society. However, the risks and opportunities of climate change for the private sector and supply chains, and the ways to adapt to these impacts, are little known in Quebec. Knowledge and resources exist, but most business leaders are poorly informed and supported on these issues and do not integrate them into their business models. 

Historically, Ouranos’ work has primarily targeted the public sector (government, municipalities, etc.), except when it comes to primary industries and raw material production (agriculture, forestry, energy production). However, Quebec’s entire economic ecosystem is impacted by climate change. 

In order to support all economic agents in their adaptation, two consultations were conducted to deepen the understanding of their needs. The first focused on the scale of the economic ecosystem (multi-sector), and the second on the sectoral scale (food processing and distribution).

1. To raise awareness of climate change adaptation among Quebec’s economic agents.

2. To mobilize influential leaders in Quebec’s key economic sectors to take action on climate change adaptation issues.

3. To generate an initial assessment of the adaptation of the economic entities consulted (impacts experienced, adaptation measures taken, obstacles and drivers of their adaptation initiatives).

4. To identify and prioritize economic agents’ needs in order to support their climate change adaptation efforts.

Two complementary consultations with economic agents were conducted in 2025 to understand their needs in terms of climate change adaptation. 

• The first one, held in the winter, drew about fifteen influential leaders in key sectors of the Quebec economy (construction, transport, natural resources, finance, urban development) for three guided workshops. 

• The second, held in the spring, targeted the food processing and distribution sectors through individual interviews and group workshops with around fifteen economic agents, mainly sector associations and companies. 

In both cases, participants were questioned about the impacts of climate hazards on their operations, the measures that have been taken to deal with them, the obstacles and drivers of their adaptation, as well as feedback on existing methods. 

In order to combine scientific expertise with field experience, these consultations were carried out in collaboration with the G15+ collective and an advisory committee of experts in food processing and distribution. 

Although the results cannot be generalized, they constitute a useful entry point, not only to understand the issues raised by a sample of economic agents from various sectors, but also to guide future actions.

The consultations led to a twofold observation: the impacts of climate change are already very real for businesses, but their climate change adaptation is limited by many factors. 

The majority of the organizations consulted had been directly affected by extreme events, mostly floods and heat waves, which disrupted their operations, infrastructure and supply chains. These disruptions affected all spheres of business activity and led to significant economic consequences, including an increase in both operating and production costs, and a decrease in revenue.

Despite this vulnerability, adaptation was not among the strategic priorities of the groups consulted. Their climate change efforts were primarily focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation measures were often put in place in response to extreme weather events, in crisis management mode. The climate phenomena experienced were not necessarily perceived as consequences of climate change that are likely to intensify and multiply. Proactive adaptation and prevention related to climate phenomena have therefore been limited.

Several factors explain this limited engagement: 

• A lack of awareness, education and support

• A lack of data on climate risks and the return on investment of adaptation

• Limited dedicated financial and human resources

• A lack of leadership and organizational prioritization of adaptation 

• A complex and discouraging regulatory environment

The following would accelerate economic agents’ adaptation to climate change:

1. Raising awareness, providing training, and mobilizing the entire economic ecosystem to promote systemic adaptation.

2. Democratizing existing resources, particularly those developed by Ouranos (e.g. Climate Portraits).

3. Creating tools and resources based on peer learning (testimonials from companies that are adapting, spaces for dialogue and ways of pooling efforts).

4. Developing knowledge on climate impacts and the associated adaptation measures, taking business realities into account, as well as the costs and benefits of these measures.

5. Promoting an enabling regulatory environment (consistency with public policy, implementation of incentive measures, simplified access to financing).

• Collectif G15+

• Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation

• Institut sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnels de l'Université Laval

• Conseil de la Transformation Alimentaire du Québec

• Association des Détaillants en Alimentation du Québec

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