Overview of Natural Hazards in BC
BC is a province rich in geographic diversity. However, with geographic diversity comes a diverse set of issues, particularly as the effects of climate change being felt across the province progress and intensify. Just as each region of BC is geographically unique, the impacts of climate change also differ making mitigation and adaptation a multifaceted challenge.1
Natural hazards related to climate change include heat waves, drought, forest fires, torrential rain, flooding, and sea level rise. The consequences of these climate-change related events can be catastrophic and often fatal. The effects of climate change not only affect the environment and weather patterns in BC, but have the power to threaten people’s homes, security, livelihoods, health, and overall well-being. Climate change poses, in particular, significant health risks of all kinds to residents of BC. The heat dome in the summer of 2021 for instance, killed an estimated 619 people in the province over a 7-day period. Resulting wildfires were widespread and, only a few months later, an atmospheric river brought about devastating flooding.2 It is becoming increasingly clear that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but also a human health and safety issue with no immediate solution.
It must also be noted that though climate change will impact all communities in BC, it will have disproportionately negative impacts on rural communities, particularly rural Indigenous and other vulnerable populations such as the elderly and infants.3,4,5 In spite of evidence suggesting these populations possess greater sensitivity to climate change’s effects, most major climate change assessments overlook reporting on human dimensions of climate change particularly concerning Indigenous communities and their capacity to adapt to rapidly changing environments.3 In order for climate change mitigation and adaptation to be successful, those most vulnerable must be identified and prioritized.
Climate change is rapidly changing the environment of BC and communities, particularly rural communities, are now faced with the very difficult challenge of keeping up with these changes. Thus, it is crucial that we begin to develop strategies to help vulnerable communities to mitigate, adapt to, and build resilience against the natural hazards being exacerbated by climate change.
