The Okanagan climate is changing and our crops, grasslands and forests are suffering.
Long-term records show the snowpack is melting earlier than ever.
Summers are hotter, droughts are longer and soil moisture is dropping.
Fire season now begins earlier and ends later.
Dr. Mike Flannigan, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, international expert on wildland fires and climate interactions has found that “climate change will worsen the three major factors that influence wildfire: having dry fuel to burn, frequent lightning strikes that start fires, and dry, windy weather that fans the flames.”
Fires in B.C. have become more intensive and extensive.
Communities were still recovering from the 2021 White Rock Lake fire when the McDougall Creek fire storm erupted in West Kelowna in 2023.
Flannigan estimates that more area burned in B.C. during 2017-2023 than in the previous 57 years.
Fire fighters report that it has become harder to control the raging infernos experienced in today’s dry, fuel-rich forests.
Jason Brolund, West Kelowna Fire Chief, in his address to the United Nations in September 2023, said firefighters “are now doing things that we never imagined on a scope and scale that's nearly impossible for us to be successful against, in part because of a changing climate leading to conditions that make it easier for fires to burn and grow.”
He described the cost of the McDougall Creek fire.
"Over $20 million was spent reacting to my fire, not to mention the insurance losses, which could be triple that."
B.C. spent close to a billion dollars fighting fires in 2023.
Summers in the Okanagan are now dominated by heat, smoke and high levels of particulate matter from wildfires.
We know that smoke causes respiratory and cardiac issues as well as depression.
It is worse for firefighters in the thick of the smoke, for children, the elderly and people working or living outdoors.
The B.C. government has responded by providing cooling centres and promoting air conditioning.
This short-term mitigation is reactive and does not address the underlying cause - carbon emissions.
Imagine if we could enjoy a summer without raging wildfires?
Our communities would save millions on firefighting, supporting evacuees and rebuilding homes.
Imagine if our air were smoke free?
The health of firefighters, first responders and the vulnerable in our community would be much better without breathing smoke. Our medical system would not be so stressed. Insurance costs would go down.
As chief Brolund said, “What could we have accomplished if we used that same amount of money proactively? We’re spending the money on the wrong end of the problem.”
While we work on fire mitigation techniques, what does climate action look like?
It means ending fracking for gas and reducing our dependency on coal, oil and gas.
It means stopping subsidies and pressuring banks not to loan money for expanding the fossil fuel industry.
It means spending money on the right end of the problem.
Heather Clay is with Climate Action Now! North Okanagan
