When I entered the MA in Climate Action Leadership (MACAL) program, I did not have a good sense of the importance of adaptation. I thought that we, as a global society, should be focusing the vast majority of our efforts on mitigation in order to reduce the future effects of climate change. I thought that it was too early to focus on adaptation, and that such a focus would be akin to giving up on mitigation efforts.
Over the summer of 2021, I was taught otherwise. First, the course that our MACAL cohort recently completed (CALS 500 – Climate Science, Impacts, & Services) had a focus on the importance of adaptation. Second, the unprecedented heat wave that hit Western Canada and the United States this summer was a lesson in itself.
In CALS 500, we learned just how much warming the earth – and Canada specifically – have already experienced. Here are a few key takeaways. During the years 2011-2020, global surface temperature was an estimated 1.09°C higher than the years 1850–1900. However, it is important to note that increases over land surfaces were even higher. Over the same period, temperatures increased an estimated 1.59°C over land surfaces worldwide (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2021). Meanwhile, in Canada, the warming experienced to date has been about double that of the global average. In Canada’s northern regions, the rate of warming has been even larger (Bush and Lemmen, 2019). These statistics showed me – unequivocally – that we are already dealing with the effects of global climate change. Climate change is not a far-off event and it is not something that only future generations will have to deal with. We are experiencing climate change now. The IPCC notes that anthropogenic climate change is currently affecting the weather and climate in every area of the earth (2021).
This summer, Western North America’s unprecedented heat wave grounded this fact in reality for those of us living in the region. Many areas were exposed to record-breaking temperatures. A new temperature record was set for Canada as a whole, with the town of Lytton posting a temperature reading of 49.6°C. Sadly, the town of Lytton was mostly destroyed by a wildfire shortly after setting this new temperature record (World Weather Attribution, 2021). This heatwave was assessed by scientists as being “virtually impossible” (World Weather Attribution, 2021) without the contribution of anthropogenic climate change.
In Golden, BC, where I live, the summer of 2021 brought the heatwave, wildfire smoke, and local wildfires. These weather events, which are all projected to become more likely in Canada in the future (Bush and Lemmen, 2019), made the learning we were doing in CALS 500 all the more relevant and urgent.
In CALS 500, I also learned that the earth is going to continue to warm until at least the middle of the century, no matter how quickly humans are able to reduce emissions (IPCC, 2021). Changes to the climate system will occur concurrently. There will be more heat waves, droughts, periods of heavy precipitation, and cyclones, among other effects (IPCC, 2021).
Climate change is happening, and I’ve come to realize that adaptation is a very important part of keeping humans as safe as possible both now and as we move forward into new temperature and weather extremes. We need to retrofit libraries so that they can act as effective cooling centres. We need to plant trees in our towns and cities to provide more shade and respite from the heat. We need to construct new buildings so that they provide ample cooling during heat waves. In short, we all – including myself – need to take the work of adaptation seriously.
My new appreciation for the necessary work of adaptation has helped inform my thinking for the design challenge, which is a component of a year-long course in our MACAL program (CALS 501 – Leading Climate Action in Society Part 1). I will ensure that both mitigation and adaptation work are highlighted in our team’s project. Specifically, I will attempt to persuade others, who may also think like I did prior to this summer, that adaptation work is an integral part of climate action in the present and future.
References
Bush, E. and Lemmen, D.S. (Eds.). (2019). Canada’s changing climate report. Environment and Climate Change Canada. https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/energy/Climate-change/pdf/CCCR_FULLREPORT-EN-FINAL.pdf
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2021). Climate change 2021: The physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Summary for Policymakers. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf
World Weather Attribution. (2021, July 7). Western North American extreme heat virtually impossible without human-caused climate change.https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/western-north-american-extreme-heat-virtually-impossible-without-human-caused-climate-change/