Is Canada Moving Fast Enough To Keep Up With A Changing Climate?
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Are we prepared to face the challenges of a changing climate?
This was the question posed by Dr. Blair Feltmate at the opening talk for the StFX Climate and Democracy Week, held in Schwartz on November 14th.
Dr. Feltmate told the audience that the debate about the reality of climate change is over, the science has been in for many years, and now Canada must face what is coming. The world is now experiencing droughts, dried-up dams, huge and numerous forest fires, and rising sea levels. Things are now going wrong in the right places, he says, and we must ask how Canada is adapting, and going to adapt, to these challenges.
The climate is changing rapidly, resulting in increasing financial and social costs for this country and the rest of the world. Feltmate says the good news is that Canada is developing guidelines to diminish these risks, and practical measures can be implemented to limit damage from climate events such as floods, fires and extreme heat.
“This group does not need convincing. Climate change is real; it has happened, and it is continuing to happen.”
Dr. Feltmate is the Head of Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo. The Centre is an incubator for research and knowledge mobilization with the aim of limiting the negative impacts associated with climate change and extreme weather events. The Centre itself was made possible with funding from Intact Financial Corporation. Dr. Feltmate is also Chair of numerous government Climate Panels, Standards Associations, Sustainable Programs, Energy Associations, and Advisory Boards. He is also author of several textbooks, and is in great demand as a speaker in government and industry sectors who are dealing with impacts and costs of climate change
Speaking to a large turnout of students, faculty, administrators, and members of the community, Dr. Feltmate said: “This group does not need convincing. Climate change is real; it has happened, and it is continuing to happen.” He showed concern when he said that 30 percent of the financial community on Bay Street, the financial center of Toronto and the country, still have doubts about this global crisis.
Dr. Feltmate began his talk with some distressing information from the experts. The message from a report put out by the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) called ‘Climate Change 2014’ says that it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of observed warming since the mid-20th century. In addition, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that by 2040 the world’s carbon footprint will be 12 to 15 percent higher than it is today, even taking the Paris Accord into consideration. “The IEA are the best-informed people on the planet,” he emphasized. A big concern with the G20, and those who signed onto the Paris Accord, is that although all agree on reducing the carbon footprint, many countries have said they will do it at their own pace, and with their own agenda, so as not to negatively affect their economies.
Dr. Feltmate’s presentation was accompanied by several slides, some of which showed dramatic increases in insurance payouts in the past 10 years from catastrophic events such as floods and fires. The biggest culprit is flooding, he says – especially flooded basements. Flooding is becoming a serious concern, especially in urban environments. Over the years, a lot of undeveloped land has now been converted into urban and industrial space, and from this loss of nature and agricultural land, there is no place to absorb excess water. And, he added, the storms are getting stronger and more frequent.
Dr. Feltmate says that the data is pointing to big spikes in home insurance in the next few years, and that the banks are planning for more people to default on their mortgages because they will not be able to pay for the cost of flood repairs not covered by their home insurance. In addition, he says, there is a mental and psycho-social cost when a family experiences a flooded basement. People become very worried and remain stressed for years after an event, and the costs of lost workdays, medication for anxiety, and counselling services are expected to rise. Health insurance companies are bracing for that impact as well.
The presentation by Dr. Feltmate was not all gloom, however. He said there is some good news for flood risk mitigation. There is quite a bit of practical advice in the form of information booklets on standards available for individuals, homeowners, businesses and municipalities. He says that numerous books and guidelines have been developed to educate, guide and mitigate flooding and flood damage. Produced with the expertise and guidance from the NRC, Intact Center, the Standards Council and the Canadian Standards Association, these publications provide professional and practical advice to prepare for, and prevent disasters such as flooding.
The booklets provide detailed advice and guidelines on how to deal with excess water and flood prevention, both in the home, commercial real estate, or in the municipality. Other available booklets deal with natural infrastructure such as wetlands development and coastlines. Dr. Feltmate gave the audience a very useful and practical slide presentation of how to prevent flooding at the household level, using many of the tips available in the booklets. He provided a link to an easy-to-use app for homeowners at www.homefloodprotect.ca/checkup.
“If we follow these risk managements for home flooding, then we can lower house insurance premiums by five to fifteen per cent,” he said. Municipalities can also assess their risks with tools provided by The Intact Center. The Center is also developing books and brochures for fire and extreme heat emergencies.
Canadians are moving in the right direction to mitigate damage, but it is not fast enough. Damage prevention and mitigation for homes, communities, natural infrastructure, and coastlines is necessary to keep insurance costs down. Dr. Feltmate says you can only cheat the system for so long – now, insurance costs are rising to extremes.
Other speakers at the opening of Climate and Democracy Week included Antigonish Mayor Laurie Boucher, Antigonish Warden Owen McCarron, and StFX Interim President Dr. Kevin Wamsley. All spoke about the local ‘Partnership For Climate Change’ initiative involving the town, county, Paqtnkek Mi’kmaq Nation and the University.
Locally, these institutions and governments have some progressive projects in the works including renewable energy and recycling. Mayor Boucher says we have many powerful socially minded people in the town and at the University who are leading the cause, “but we have more to do and more to learn.”
Dr. Wamsley concluded the evening by stating that the climate crisis is here, and StFX will make efforts to deal with the ‘campus footprint.’ “We have to do something together,” he said, “our fishers and farmers are facing challenges and we must tackle this. We can make changes, and the time is now.”
