Resilience Scanner

Toronto faces a future where frequent heatwaves will challenge its urban landscape and citizen wellbeing. In response to these climate hazards, the city has developed a portfolio of technology-enabled climate resilience solutions. Current initiatives involve the implementation of efficient cooling systems, such as heat pumps and fans in buildings, ensuring improved thermal comfort. The city also employs decision support tools for effective climate adaptation and urban planning, addressing the evolving climate landscape. Additionally, it is planning to incorporate microgrid systems and controllers to bolster energy resilience. Through these ongoing and proposed efforts, Toronto showcases its commitment to building a sustainable and adaptable urban environment capable of mitigating the effects of climate change.

Hazard Outlook

How will Toronto's projected climate hazards compare to other cities under a 3.0°C future warming scenario?

Maximum Temperature

33rd percentile Moderate exposure

Toronto's projected maximum temperature of 8.9°C is near the median of cities globally under a 3.0°C warming scenario.

Toronto
5.0 Cooler → Hotter 13

Heavy Rainfall Days

48th percentile Moderate exposure

With 10 days of heavy rainfall expected, Toronto ranks near the median of cities for extreme precipitation events.

Toronto
0.0 Fewer → More 36

Maximum Rainfall

37th percentile Moderate exposure

Toronto's projected maximum rainfall of 9 mm is near the median of cities globally.

Toronto
0.0 Lower → Higher 35

Elevation

58th percentile Moderate exposure

At 131 m elevation, Toronto faces moderate risk from coastal flooding and sea level rise.

Toronto
-8.0 Lower → Higher 4k

Longest Heatwave

16th percentile Lower exposure

Toronto may experience heatwaves lasting up to 3 days, lower than most other cities.

Toronto
0.0 Shorter → Longer 92

Exposure Summary

Max Temp
Heavy Rain
Max Rain
Elevation
Heatwave

Adaptation Priorities

Toronto shows moderate or lower exposure across measured climate hazards.

Data source: Climate projections from the IPCC AR6 scenario analysis. See our methodology for details on how we process and interpret this data.

Deployed Solutions

Deployed climate adaptation technologies identified in Toronto.

Recommended Solutions

Proven solutions from similar cities that could help diversify Toronto's resilience portfolio

NASA Landsat Urban Heat Island Mapping and Analysis Platform
89%
From: Chicago

The City of Chicago partnered with City Tech Collaborative, Microsoft, Esri, and d3i Systems to develop a technology-enabled approach for quantifying urban heat islands and assessing heat reduction interventions using advanced environmental data from NASA.

AI-Powered Urban Tree Canopy Mapping Using Satellite & LiDAR Data
89%
From: Chicago

Satellite data is used to periodically evaluate tree coverage across Chicago and across the greater region.

Urban Heat Response Data Platform
89%
From: Chicago

City Tech Collaborative partnered with Microsoft, Esri, d3i Systems, and the City of Chicago to create a replicable, scalable study of urban heat spots over time and assessment of site-specific heat interventions through the Urban Heat Response project.

Temperate Climate Adaptation Planning Tool for Mid-Sized Cities
85%
From: Nashville

Nashville utilizes the Temperate Climate Adaptation Planning Tool to identify and address climate risks between 2025 and 2035, including increased intense storms, tornadoes, flooding, and extreme heat days.

RESCCUE Urban Water Resilience Methodology
84%
From: Barcelona

Barcelona performed a comprehensive resilience diagnosis using the RESCCUE methodology and tools to assess climate change impacts on the city's water services.

RESCCUE Web-Based Urban Resilience Modeling Platform
84%
From: Barcelona

The RESCCUE Toolkit represents a comprehensive web-based platform developed through a four-year European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation project that ran from May 2016 to October 2020.