Canada launches first-ever climate adaptation strategy

Smoke rises from a wildfire burning near Whyte Lake which caused the closure of the Sea-To-Sky Highway linking Vancouver with the resort town of Whistler, in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada June 26, 2023. BC Wildfire Service/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Canada launched its first-ever national climate adaptation strategy on Tuesday, aimed at reducing the risk from extreme weather events like floods and wildfires and mitigating slow the impacts of fossil fuel-driven global warming, including melting permafrost.

The strategy come as Canada tackles its worst-ever wildfire season, with 7.8 million hectares already burned before the hottest months of the summer have even started.