Tag Archives: Cost of climate change

Disaster, Uncategorized

In a world on fire, making the case for burning more

Matt Simmons – The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

A cold spring rain spatters the deck outside a small coffee shop in Smithers, B.C., as Kevin Kriese explains why he believes people need to change how they think about wildfire. 

A former assistant deputy minister with the provincial government and recently retired chair of the B.C. Forest Practices Board, Kriese is now a senior wildfire analyst with the POLIS wildfire resilience project. He’s tall and athletic (an avid skier) and a passionate advocate for land-based solutions to ecological challenges. He speaks with the confidence of someone who has spent his entire career navigating seemingly intractable problems — but admits getting people on board with the idea of living with more fire on the land is no easy task.

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Politics

Liberals’ climate wing backs Carney for leader

By John Woodside, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The climate wing of the Liberal Party is rallying around Mark Carney, offering the former central banker credibility on a file the Grits see as their competitive advantage over Conservatives.

This week Carney picked up endorsements from Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson (who previously served as environment minister), and MP Ryan Turnbull, a major proponent of sustainable finance who served as the Parliamentary Secretary under former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

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Cost of Climate Change, Fire

3 things you need to know about wildfires in BC

By Matt Simmons, The Narwhal, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Wildfire season is never really over. 

When infernos subside in one region, they begin somewhere else. As the world continues to heat up and the climate changes, forested areas like British Columbia will experience greater wildfire impacts year-round, including on the physical and mental health of frontline firefighters.

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Cost of Climate Change

How climate change impacts insurance costs

By Bhagyashree Chatterjee, The Squamish Chief, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As home insurance costs increase due to climate change, mitigation efforts can help residents stabilize their costs.

“We’re seeing more wildfires, floods, and storms driving up insurance costs,” said Justine Bowman, branch manager at Westland Insurance Group.  

Over the past decade, the cost of claims related to natural disasters in Canada has tripled, reaching over $2 billion annually on average, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).  

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Cost of Climate Change

BC’s Productivity Emergency vs Rising GHG Emissions

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With the rise of global temperatures already at 1.4°C, we are currently on track to reach 2.8°C by the end of this century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims, “every additional 0.1°C of global warming causes clearly discernible increases in the intensity and frequency of temperature and precipitation extremes, as well as agricultural and ecological droughts in some regions.” 

Denise Mullen, from the Business Council of BC, recently informed the SRD’s Natural Resources Committee that the province faces a more urgent problem. British Columbia is in the midst of a productivity emergency. 

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