Wildfires, Floods and Extreme Heat: Why Climate Adaptation Matters with Intact Centre
Jan 6, 2025
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Kathryn Bakos, Managing Director of Finance and Resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, discusses the pressing challenges posed by climate change, including flooding, wildfires, and extreme heat. She highlights the importance of proactive community and financial sector responses to these crises. Emphasizing the lag in adaptation awareness compared to mitigation efforts, Kathryn explores innovative solutions like updated flood maps, wildfire risk management, and strategies for protecting the most vulnerable populations in urban settings.
Canada is facing accelerated climate change impacts, with flooding, wildfires, and extreme heat posing significant threats to communities.
Proactive measures like updating floodplain maps and investing in green infrastructure are essential to mitigate flood risks effectively.
The insurance industry is grappling with rising climate risks, making accurate data crucial for assessing insurability and promoting resilience.
Deep dives
Understanding Climate Change Risks in Canada
Canada is experiencing climate change impacts at an accelerated rate, with increasing occurrences of flooding, wildfires, and extreme heat. The country is warming two to three times faster than the global average, leading to more severe weather events, and no region is immune to these risks. Despite the perception of Canada as a refuge from climate change, urban areas are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat due to the urban heat island effect, which raises temperatures significantly compared to surrounding rural areas. This demonstrates the pressing need for proactive measures in both individual behaviors and community planning to mitigate these inevitable risks.
Mitigation Strategies for Flooding
Flooding represents Canada's most costly and frequently occurring climate hazard, affecting a significant portion of the population. Currently, 1.5 million homes, about 10% of the Canadian housing market, are uninsurable due to flood risk, with insurance policies increasingly difficult to obtain in high-risk areas. Communities can significantly reduce flood risks by updating outdated floodplain maps, implementing natural infrastructure to absorb excess water, and investing in green infrastructure like wetlands. Homeowners can take proactive steps, such as cleaning gutters and properly managing stormwater systems, to prevent flood damage and improve the resilience of their properties.
Adapting to Wildfire Risks
Wildfires pose a growing risk throughout Canada, exacerbated by factors such as prolonged dry seasons and increased lightning strikes. Individuals living in wildfire-prone areas can reduce their home's vulnerability by using flame-resistant materials and maintaining a safe distance from combustible vegetation. The Intact Center has developed resources like infographics outlining practical steps for homeowners and communities to take, which could significantly reduce the likelihood of home loss during wildfire events. Community-level initiatives, like creating fire breaks and ensuring proper maintenance of transmission lines, are essential in curtailing the spread of wildfires.
Addressing the Importance of Heatwave Adaptation
Heatwaves represent a critical public health risk, particularly for vulnerable populations, and are linked to more fatalities than flooding and wildfires combined. Strategies for mitigating heat risks include urban planning that retains tree cover and natural shade, as well as having cooling centers accessible to communities. Individual actions, including enhancing passive cooling methods in residences and staying informed about community resources, can help protect those most at risk of heat-related health issues. By fostering a culture of awareness and preparedness, municipalities can help reduce the adverse effects of extreme heat on residents.
The Role of Financial and Insurance Sectors
The financial and insurance industries face significant challenges in adapting to the rising risks associated with climate change, such as increased flooding and wildfires. Many insurers are starting to restrict coverage in high-risk areas, impacting homeowners' ability to secure mortgages and creating stranded assets. To navigate these changes, companies require access to accurate, up-to-date data on climate risks to gauge insurability effectively and encourage preventive measures. It is crucial for both policymakers and communities to collaborate with the insurance sector to develop comprehensive strategies that enhance resilience and adapt to evolving climate realities.
Kathryn Bakos is the Managing Director of Finance and Resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, an applied research center within the faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
Our conversation today is all about the inevitable impacts of climate change, including floods, wildfires, and heat waves in particular, as these phenomena are Kathryn's main focus. We talk about the increasing severity of each of these, the preventative efforts that individuals and communities can each take to avoid their worst effects and how risk and insurance industries are navigating these perils. And lastly, we have a conversation about why adaptation measures have seemingly lagged behind decarbonization efforts in the public consciousness about climate change.
In this episode, we cover:
[0:00] Overview of the Intact Centre
[1:30] Canada’s climate vulnerability
[2:44] Kathryn’s career path
[4:00] Major risks: flooding, wildfires, heat waves
[9:59] Responses to flooding: individuals, communities, industries
[16:55] Updating flood maps and using AI
[26:07] Wildfire risks: actions for homes and communities
[34:53] Wildfire insurance and resilience challenges
