Ensuring Canada's infrastructure is more resilient in the face of increasing climate disasters will require reframing the issue beyond the readily apparent environmental impacts, according to an expert at a national climate adaptation research centre.

Beneath the cold blue waters of Lake Superior lie hundreds of shipwrecks, which serve as underwater time capsules of travel, trade and turbulence dating back more than a century. While the fate of these structures is largely subject to the hands of time, new foes have crept on board: zebra and quagga mussels. These invasive species have stirred up concern among archaeologists, historians and divers, who are reporting increased cases of the mussels coating wrecks across the Great Lakes, causing accelerated deterioration.

This year Montreal saw many extreme climate events: deep freezes, an ice storm, tornado warnings, torrential rain, flooding, forest fires up north, and extreme heat. The first week of October is bringing more heat to the city with temperatures of up to 32 degrees with the humidex. This is all happening as the city is hosting the largest global conference on adaptation to climate change. Over 1,500 global experts in climate change adaptation, along with politicians and citizens, are at the Palais des congrès this week for the seventh edition of the Adaptation Futures conference.