Invest in water to protect the summer we love – National Observer

July 31, 2024

Fresh water has always been key to making summer memories with friends and family, but it is also how most people will feel the impacts of climate change.

Summer 2023 — the hottest ever on record — brought extreme flooding, wildfires and droughts across Canada, often occurring simultaneously. This summer, a wildfire has devastated the Alberta town of Jasper. No part of Canada was spared from devastation and the staggering financial consequences felt across income loss, infrastructure damage, health costs and community upheaval:

• One week of wildfire smoke in Ontario resulted in an estimated $1.28 billion in health costs (CCI);
• Halifax faced an estimated $20 million price tag to recover from storms, wildfires and flooding;
• The Northwest Territories required over $187 million in recovery funds following wildfires, in addition to the British Columbia wildfire season costing over $1 Billion
• Additionally, the United States, which shares a 3830 kilometre freshwater border with Canada, elevated water scarcity to a national security issue in February due to its downstream impacts on economic, food, and energy security.

Read More: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/07/31/opinion/invest-water-watershed-climate-drought