Heat & Smoke
This chapter is currently under construction.
We are actively developing case studies and implementation insights.
Wildfire in British Columbia
After a century of decline, British Columbians have been grappling with a surge in wildfire activity, a trend that began far sooner than climate scientists initially predicted.1 Four of the most significant wildfires of the last fifty years occurred between 2016 and 2023, all of which were accompanied by extreme heat events. Canada’s temperature is climbing at double the global average warming rate—triple for Northern Canada—and has increased by 2.4ºC since 1948.2 During the 2021 heat dome, temperature records were broken across Western Canada. Lytton, BC experienced a high of 49.6 ºC, surpassing the previous Canadian record by nearly 5 ºC.3 A devastating fire burned down a large portion of the community the following day, killing two people and amassing an estimated $102 million in damages.4,5 As devastating as this was for the population of Lytton and its surroundings, the damage was a drop in the bucket relative to the entirety of damage done by heat and wildfires across the country. The Western heat dome remains Canada’s worst climate disaster to date, resulting in the deaths of over 600 Canadians.3
An increase in burned area
This map depicts an increase in the land area burned across Canada, which correlates with a decrease in wetness that began in 2005.
Climate Migration
Climate migration due to smoke and wildfire has become a reality for many Canadians, and experts predict the situation will worsen in coming years unless drastic mitigation efforts are taken.
The 2023 wildfire season in the Northwest territories forced over 20,000 people out of their homes, including two thirds of the population of Yellowknife, and 4000 residents living around Hay River and The K’atl’odeeche First Nation Reserve.
Wildfire smoke over the Hay River, NWT. Photo by Nick Shepherd.
Compounded health effects
The health effects of the combination of extreme heat and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke are becoming a growing concern, and research from UBC’s School of Population and Public Health affirms that the harm from smoke and heat combined is greater than the harm from each individually (Understanding the risks of extreme heat and wildfire smoke UBC blog post).
Widespread harm
Despite Canadian wildfires generally being understood as a localized issue, their harms have travelled far beyond our borders. A study in Nature estimated that the 2023 Canadian wildfire season—which burned seven times the annual mean area and released the most emissions in 20 years—was responsible for the premature deaths of around 82100 people, 8300 of which were Canadian, due to chronic smoke exposure (Zhang, long range).
Selkirk’s Living Lab
Read to learn how Selkirk turned their food waste into nutrients for nearby farm!
UNBC’s Green Day
See how UNBC joins the community and academics to discuss how the Prince George community can improve sustainability
VIU’s Microcredentials
Read on to find out VIU implemented short ‘micro-credentials’ to improve agricultural education in the Cowichan Valley
- Parisien, Marc-André, Quinn E. Barber, Mathieu L. Bourbonnais, et al. “Abrupt, Climate-Induced Increase in Wildfires in British Columbia since the Mid-2000s.” Communications Earth & Environment 4, no. 1 (2023): 309. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00977-1.↩
- Canada, Environment and Climate Change. “Temperature Change in Canada.” Research. April 28, 2016. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/temperature-change.html.↩
- White, Rachel H., Sam Anderson, James F. Booth, et al. “The Unprecedented Pacific Northwest Heatwave of June 2021.” Nature Communications 14, no. 1 (2023): 727. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36289-3.↩
- Azpiri, Jon. “RCMP Investigation Can’t Determine Cause of 2021 Lytton Wildfire.” CBC News, September 11, 2024. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lytton-wildfire-rcmp-investigation-1.7320809. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36289-3.↩
- Insurance Bureau of Canada. Insured Losses in Lytton, BC, Increase to $102 Million. January 12, 2022. https://www.ibc.ca/news-insights/news/insured-losses-in-lytton-bc-increase-to-102-million.↩
- Insurance Bureau of Canada. Insured Losses in Lytton, BC, Increase to $102 Million. January 12, 2022. https://www.ibc.ca/news-insights/news/insured-losses-in-lytton-bc-increase-to-102-million.↩