Climate-change-at-the-neighborhood-level
Climate impacts in Vancouver
- Longer droughts
- Wetter falls & winters
- Smoky summers due to increasing high intensity widespread forest fires
- More/hotter heatwaves
- Heat domes
Climate projections:
- Climate models project increases in average summer daytime high temperatures:
- Vancouver will be warmer than present-day San Diego by the 2050's
- Rainfall: 5% increase in total annual precipitation by the 2050s
- but 19% decrease in summer (droughts) and more intense rainstorms (flash flooding)
Vulnerability
Climate change may damage or harm a community
- Risk of flooding
- Forest fires
- Heat waves
- Droughts
What do people know about climate realities?
- Citizens are concerned & anxious
- Often uniformed
- 72%-100% of residents & youth are unaware of carbon or canopy targets
- Great urgency but little visible action on the ground
How can we quickly assess a neighborhood on readiness for the climate emergency?
What tools and existing resources can we use?
- Carbon Calculator (Saanich)
- UN calling for 50% reduction in carbon footprints by 2030, to stay below 2C global warming
High vulnerability features
- Dark roofs
- No trees/ all lawn
- Poor drainage
- Unshaded south/southwest facing buildings
- Pavement
Resilient Features
- Large trees growing together
- Trees in front of south-facing windows
- Small trees
- Food gardens
- Reduces emissions from food transportation
- White roof
Visioning Solutions (possible Climate Hacks)
- Tree planting
- Drought water of trees
- Storing carbon in wood structures
- Raingardens
- Leaf litter recycling
- Water conservation
- Switching cars for trees (depaving asphalt)
- Rewilding boulevards or parklets
Holistic look at local aspects of climate change (CIMA)
- Causes: anything that produces high carbon emissions
- Impacts: consequences of climate change & vulnerability to future impacts
- Mitigation: ways to reduce carbon emissions
- Adaptation: ways to deal with the impacts of climate change