A New Normal — Natural Disasters in the Age of Climate Change

In the past five years, British Columbia has experienced four of the worst wildfire seasons on record, a deadly heatwave that killed hundreds of people, and a torrential rain storm that destroyed highways, flooded hundreds of homes and killed thousands of farm animals. The 2023 wildfire season shattered records and became the deadliest season in recent memory, claiming the lives of eight firefighters. And it’s only going to get worse. Experts agree these extreme weather events like these are expected to get worse as climate change progresses. Each disaster further compounds a cycle of fires, floods and droughts, raising serious questions about how prepared communities are on Canada’s west coast.