Heat & Smoke

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 severe 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 Along with an increase in fire, we are also experiencing rising temperatures. 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 5ºC.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 overall destruction from wildfires and extreme heat across the country. The Western heat dome remains Canada’s worst climate disaster to date, resulting in the deaths of over 600 Canadians.³

Climate Migration

Climate migration due to smoke and wildfire has become a reality for many Canadians, and experts predict the situation will worsen in the coming years unless drastic mitigation efforts are taken. In 2020, 1.2 million people worldwide were internally displaced by wildfires, meaning they were forced to evacuate to another location within their country.⁶

A considerable number of Canadians have been forced to migrate due to wildfires. In 2024, Canadians—primarily Indigenous people in BC—accounted for 40% of people internally displaced around the world due to fires.⁷ 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.⁸

Widespread Harm

Despite the fact that rural communities are most likely to suffer the impacts of climate change, the harm from Canadian wildfires is far from localized. 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 whom were Canadian, due to chronic smoke exposure.²¹ Canadian wildfire smoke has spread far beyond our borders, underscoring the need for a stronger international response to the climate crisis.

Rural Impacts

Although climate change is disrupting the lives of all Canadians, those living rurally are disproportionately affected. Click to expand the headings below to better understand the unique circumstances faced by rural Canadians when adapting to a changing climate.

A Call for Change

Canada is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, and in 2024, 73% of our energy came from natural gas and oil.²² The widespread havoc wreaked by climate change and ecosystem disruption is materializing before all Canadians. Heat and smoke are the most notable consequences and have become impossible to ignore, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. The only way to meaningfully combat the climate crisis is to target its source. We need a systemic overhaul in our way of life, notably through government intervention and a transition away from fossil fuel dependence. However, until we begin meaningfully implementing such drastic changes, we are adjusting to this new normal through a variety of smaller-scale measures.

Having been forced to adapt to the disparate ramifications of climate change rapidly, rural communities have been at the forefront of change. Despite the magnitude of this issue and the variety of unique challenges they face, rural communities are leading grassroots efforts to build resilience and strengthen community health, thereby setting an inspiring example for the rest of the country—and the world—to follow suit.