Canada's infrastructure policy must integrate ecological systems as foundational to national resilience
Original framing: “Canada should invest in nature as critical infrastructure” — The Conversation - Global
Scientific evidence shows that natural systems like wetlands and forests provide critical ecosystem services, including water filtration and carbon storage. These services are often undervalued in economic models, leading to underinvestment in their protection.
To truly address the systemic challenges of environmental degradation and climate change, Canada must move beyond viewing nature as a peripheral concern and recognize it as foundational infrastructure.
This requires integrating Indigenous knowledge, adopting scientific models that value ecosystem services, and ensuring that marginalized voices shape policy. Historical patterns of colonial extraction and ecological neglect must be acknowledged and reversed through cross-cultural collaboration and future-oriented planning. By doing so, Canada can build a resilient, equitable, and ecologically grounded infrastructure system that serves both people and the planet.