Environmental emergencies can include natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods, as well as incidents caused by human activity, such as chemical spills.
There are four pillars to Environment Canada's environmental emergencies program: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. All are supported by a foundation of scientific and technical knowledge.
The Department's role includes identifying and minimizing potential causes of emergencies, assisting with contingency planning, overseeing responses, offering expert advice, and developing tools for assessing and repairing damage.
This section describes the activities carried out by Environment Canada's Environmental Emergencies Program.