Despite considerable work examining climate change impacts and adaptation over the past two decades, relatively little attention has been given to built infrastructure and engineered systems, including transportation. This is reflected in the recent Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,⁽⁷⁵⁾ where less than one page of the vulnerabilities, impacts and adaptations report is devoted to transportation. Rather, much of the work on transportation and climate change has been directed toward mitigation issues. This is not surprising, considering that transportation accounts for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions.^{(76, 77)}

Therefore, it is to be expected that many gaps exist in our understanding of potential climate change impacts and adaptation strategies in the transportation sector. Given the limited amount of work that has been completed, virtually all impact areas and adaptation strategies require further investigation. Specific priorities identified within papers cited in this chapter include:

• greater attention to impacts and adaptation issues for road transportation in southern Canada;
• increased research on the vulnerability of Canadian roads to changes in thermal conditions, including freeze-thaw cycles and extreme temperatures;
• studies that assess the significance of extreme weather events and weather variability in the design, cost, mobility and safety of Canadian transportation systems;
• a more thorough evaluation of existing adaptive measures and their relative ability to defer infrastructure upgrades, reduce operational costs, and maintain or improve mobility and safety;
• comprehensive studies that focus on key issues for shipping and navigation, including the opening of the Northwest Passage and lower water levels in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system;
• an analysis of how changes in factors external to climate, such as technology, land-use patterns and economics, affect societal vulnerability to climate and climate change; and
• studies that integrate mitigation (greenhouse gas emissions reduction) and climate change-related impacts and/or adaptation issues.

All of this research should be conducted in close working relationships with stakeholders, which in turn will provide the best opportunity for weather- and/or climate-sensitive issues to become acknowledged in legislation, standards and policies. Consideration of the institutional arrangements that would best foster appropriate adaptations in all parts of Canada is also important.