B.C. Study suggests climate change made floods at least twice as likely| Study suggests climate change made floods at least twice as likely

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Here’s your weekly update with what you need to know about global climate change and the steps B.C. For the week of February 14-20th, 2022, the B.C. is taking steps to address climate and ecological crises.

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This week’s climate news:

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned for years that wildfires, drought, severe weather, such as B.C.’s deadly heat dome in June, and flooding would become more frequent and more intense because of the climate crisis.

For the most recent news on climate and environment, check back here every Saturday. By subscribing, you can also receive up-to-date B.C.-focused news delivered to your email by 7 a.m. here.

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A glance at B.C.’s carbon numbers:

• B.C.’s gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019 (latest available data:) 68.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e.) This is a 3.0 MtCO2e increase, or 5.1% since 2007.
• B.C.’s net emissions in 2019: 67.2 MtCO2e, an increase of 1.5 MtCO2e, or two per cent, since 2007.
• B.C.’s 2030 target: 40 per cent reduction in net emissions below 2007 levels.
• B.C.’s 2040 target: 60 per cent reduction.
• B.C.’s 2050 target: 80 per cent reduction.
• Canada’s 2030 emissions target: Between 40 and 45 per cent reduction.
• Canada’s 2050 emissions target: Net-zero.

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Climate change quick facts:

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GUIDES AND LINKS

B.C. Flood: Check out all our coverage about the Fraser Valley, and beyond

NASA: Frequently Asked Questions about Climate Change

Climate change made B.C. Study concludes that heat wave is 150 times more likely due to climate change

B.C.’s heat wave: Intense weather event is linked to climate crisis, say scientists

Expert: Climate change will lead to longer wildfire seasons, and more area being burned, according to experts

Vancouver outlines its Climate Emergency Action Plan

COVID-19 may have stopped protests massively, but youth are taking their fight to the courts for their future.

Climate displacement in B.C. is a growing concern Residents are forced from their homes by extreme weather

LATEST CLIMATE NEWS

Climate scientist in Antarctica speaks to Metro Vancouver officials about ‘doomsday’ glacier

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The anticipated collapse of the “doomsday” Thwaites glacier in Antarctica has caught the world’s attention, including politicians here at home.

Metro Vancouver Regional District officials held a conversation with David Holland, Canadian climate scientist to learn more about the implications for the region if this glacier bursts.

Postmedia Last week, I spoke with himThe expedition to Antarctica to drill into Thwaites glacier was postponed. Instead, they were collecting vital information from the Dotson shelf (about 140 km west of Thwaites).

He told Metro Vancouver this week that the water beneath the ice sheet was 3C above the freezing point. This has terrifying implications for how fast the glacier melts.

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“This is absolutely massive. So this ice sheet that I’m standing on is melting from the bottom and is melting in some places by 100 metres per year, which is an enormous number. It’s the largest melt anywhere on Earth,” said Holland, who is also a professor of mathematics and atmosphere/ocean science at New York University.

Read the complete story here.

—Tiffany Crawford

B.C. B.C.

There are some things you can bet will appear in next week’s provincial budget: money for child care, Indigenous reconciliation and infrastructure projects to “build back better.”

Although the NDP government claims it has a clear vision of a post-pandemic economic recovery, that vision could be clouded by the malaise that is rooted in unaffordable housing and a growing overdose epidemic, as well as the challenges that the health care system faces that the government has not been able to address.

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Selina Robinson, Finance Minister, has however promised a budget to boost the economy and fund NDP priorities.

In December, when she released a quarterly financial update, Robinson promised spending on priorities such as dealing with climate change, reducing poverty, reducing inequality and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples — while boosting B.C. economic resilience.

Read the complete story here.

—Lisa Cordasco

Members of B.C.’s Shackan First Nation to return home, more than 90 days after flood

British Columbia First Nation members who were evacuated from their home by a nearby river during the catastrophic floods of 1990 are now allowed to return.

Chief Arnie Lampreau, chief of the Shackan Indi Band, said that he didn’t expect community members to be away from their reserve in Nicola Valley so long.

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“They’re excited to come home,” he said in an interview.

The community is one of many affected by flooding along Highway 8 between Merritt, Spences Bridge, and Merritt.

The band declared a state emergency on Nov. 15, to order an evacuation for all 45 properties on its reserve. This was in response to a series storms known as atmospheric river that swept through the area near Merritt.

You can read the entire story here.

—The Canadian Press

Nearly half of B.C. Despite climate crisis concerns, residents prefer to use a gas stove to an electric one: B.C. Hydro report

According to a B.C. survey, more than half of British Columbians are concerned about climate change, but nearly the same percentage prefer gas stoves, despite their carbon footprint. Hydro report Friday.

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A recent poll was conducted by Hydro in British Columbia. Hydro found that 77% of British Columbians polled believe the weather is getting more extreme because of climate change. 54% are very concerned about the future impact of climate change.

According to the poll, 81% believe climate change is having an affect on their daily lives.

Friday’s report from B.C. Hydro highlights these findings to show how they don’t align with the soaring use of natural gas — which has a much higher carbon footprint than electricity — in the province.

According to the report, there’s been a 47% increase in natural gas cooking equipment in detached and townhomes over the past decade. Natural gas fireplaces are also on the rise.

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Read the complete story here.

—Tiffany Crawford

Climate change has accelerated the rise of floods in B.C., according to a study. Floods twice as likely

According to Environment and Climate Change Canada research, climate change is at least twice as likely as the disastrous floods that decimated large swathes of southern British Columbia last year.

The study concludes similar events will be more likely in the future as global warming continues its disruption of normal weather patterns.

At the height of the November floods, almost 15,000 people were forced to leave their homes.

Roads and bridges including sections of the Coquihalla Highway were washed away, and farms were flooded with water up to two metres high.

Lead author Nathan Gillett says his team came to the conclusion by using climate models to compare B.C.’s weather with greenhouse gases and without.

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He said that the conclusions indicate the need to rebuild roads, buildings, and infrastructure that can withstand more severe weather than ever before.

You can read the entire story here.

—The Canadian Press

Corrientes is witness to the Argentine fires, which continue to rage in Argentina, destroying an important wetland

Wildfires in Argentina’s north have continued to spread through the province of Corrientes, burning more than 600,000 hectares, scarring farmlands and killing protected animals and plants in the major Ibera National Park, an important wetland area.

Local authorities have sent firefighters and police to help fight 15 blazes near the border with Paraguay. The flames have burned more than 6% of the province which has been suffering from drought and high temperatures since last year.

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“More than 600,000 hectares have been burned; our teams can’t cope. We have water bomber planes, helicopters, but we just can’t cope,” Commander Daniel Bertorello of the provincial capital’s Volunteer Firefighters said in a telephone interview.

According to the National Meteorological Service, the weather forecast is not promising. High temperatures are expected this weekend with no rain.

Read the complete story here.

—Reuters

NOAA predicts that the sea level in the United States will rise by 2050 just as much as it did in the past century.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) report, sea levels will rise by as much as one foot in the United States over the next thirty years.

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According to the study, sea levels along the U.S. shoreline are expected to rise by 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) in 2050. Because of greater land subsidence, sea levels will be higher along the Atlantic or Gulf shores than along the Pacific coasts.

Rising sea levels are causing more flooding from high tides.

Damaging coastal floods typical of today’s sea levels, weather conditions and infrastructure are expected to occur more than 10 times as often in the next 30 years, Nicole LeBoeuf, director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service, said in a summary of the report.

Read the complete story here.

—Reuters

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