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Ryan MacDonald is a senior editor at The Globe heading the climate, environment and resources team. For this week’s deeper dive, he talks about this week’s record-setting heat events around the world.
Climate change is no longer a future threat. The world is getting hotter — and it’s clear that the world is not prepared for extreme heat. July saw the first-ever extreme heat warning issued in the United Kingdom where temperatures topped 40 C. Train operators asked customers not to travel, flights were disrupted and the hot air and parched land caused dozens of fires in several cities.and the need to modify buildings and cities to cope with temperature extremes.climate change-fuelled heat waves are forecasting a new global weather realityIn the U.S.
Here at home, the situation has been far less dire, but that doesn’t mean we should be complacent in preparing for extreme heat events. Canada’s hodgepodge of heat warning systems have been criticized for not reaching people soon enough, or worse still, delivering contradictory advice. In June, a death review panel convened by the B.C. Coroners Service concluded last year’s extraordinary heat dome led to as many as 619 heat-related deaths, mostly of older people who lived alone and suffered from chronic diseases. Among its major findings was “a lag” between heat alerts issued by the federal Environment Ministry, and the responses of B.C.’s public agencies.