The problem
As environmental emergencies driven by climate change increase in intensity in countries around the world, our understanding of these emergencies and past procedures to deal with them are rapidly becoming ineffective.
Importance and scale
Emergencies directly and indirectly associated with climate change include severe and frequent flooding and storm surges, intense and widespread forest fires, crop failures, contaminated water and other challenges. These emergencies cost human lives, damage critical infrastructure, disrupt economic activity and can set off large-scale human migrations. The severity and unpredictability of these events leave people around the world at greater risk of climate-driven emergency events.
According to IBISWorld, the Environmental Emergency Response Services segment of the U.S.’s Remediation and Environmental Cleanup industry accounts for 12.7% of this $16.3 billion industry. This includes emergency cleanup following natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. While the size of the Environmental Emergency Response Services market is tied to the occurrence of natural disasters and industrial accidents, this market has grown over the past five years.
The industry is smaller in Canada ($1.8 billion) but the share of the Environmental Emergency Response Services market is similar at 12.2%. Stakeholder breakdowns also mirror the U.S. Companies tend to cluster in regions where environmental disasters are more likely—such as Alberta, where environmental risks connected to oil and gas production create demand for response services.
Two main stakeholder groups dominate the industry:
- Private sector – bears the majority of costs (≈54% in the U.S., 52.8% in Canada)
- Public sector – federal and local governments bear ≈39% (39.9% in Canada)
Public institutions, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), often play a role in determining responsibility for environmental emergency costs. For example, the EPA conducts assessments following incidents like oil spills to determine the party at fault.
Additional project details
More information about this project will be shared during the kickoff meeting. Students will receive all the details they need at that time.