CBC News / Emily Chung, Alice Hopton, Tashauna Reid / 03 June 2020
Warmer temperatures due to climate change lead to wetter air, and we’ve seen more extreme rainfall and flooding across North America. But is there really evidence that the two are related?
Yes, there is.
A new study from researchers at Environment and Climate Change Canada found that climate change has made:
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Transition US / Don Hall / 30 March 2020
Due to accelerating impacts from climate change, as well as ongoing economic and political instability around the world, these crises will continue to periodically crash up against our shores, more and more frequently in coming decades, threatening to significantly erode our capacity to respond. In order to successfully counter this reality, those of us who are called to leadership will need to learn how to respond skillfully during these periodic crises and build local community resilience long-term.
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Toronto Star / Laura Osman / 28 March 2020
The last couple of years have taken on a biblical tone in the rural Pontiac region of Quebec.
The small community of about 6,000 has recovered from five natural disasters in just two years. Floods and microbursts have wiped out homes, roads and culverts. Last year’s tornado was the cherry on the cake.
“Our little municipality has become experts at managing crises,” said Mayor Joanne Labadie.
But nothing could prepare them for the possibility of fighting another flood with a global pandemic on their doorstep, she said.
Still, they’re getting ready as best they can.
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GLISA / 2016
GLISA supports the region, as it charts its future, facing multiple and simultaneous changes and uncertainties. The Great Lakes region represents a unique socio-ecological system. Bound by the Lakes that shape both its culture and natural resources, Great Lakes communities have experienced dramatic changes in the past five decades, including deep economic downturn, population shifts, and negative environmental impacts. While climate change impacts are projected to exacerbate some of these challenges, leaders in the region are increasingly committed to a sustainable future by leveraging opportunities to mitigate climate impacts and adaptively respond to them.
As a boundary organization, GLISA produces and integrates information from a wide array of scientific fields, helps develop collaborations among stakeholders and organizations with similar goals, and provides climate information to support decision makers throughout the eight Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario.
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The Guardian / Larry Elliott / 15 January 2020
A year of extreme weather events and mounting evidence of global heating have catapulted the climate emergency to the top of the list of issues worrying the world’s elite.
The World Economic Forum’s annual risks report found that, for the first time in its 15-year history, the environment filled the top five places in the list of concerns likely to have a major impact over the next decade.
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Toronto Star / Carola Vyhnak / 02 January 2020
Whether you live in a house, condo or apartment, “there’s no one who doesn’t have some sort of risk,” Fraser said. “I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for every family and individual to be prepared.”
The emergency plan should include steps to get everyone out safely, a meeting place and means of communicating with displaced family members, says Fraser, calling the Red Cross’s “Be Ready” app a “critical” tool.
With winter’s snow and ice storms threatening power outages, Fraser advised equipping a grab-and-go kit with enough water, food, cash and prescription medication for 72 hours. It should also contain copies of important documents, a battery or hand-cranked radio, phone charger, flashlight and batteries, candles, matches, a can opener, and a book or playing cards to pass the time.
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