Never have I seen as many news headlines about the weather both in Canada and the U.S. then this summer. Severe droughts in Arizona and California, flooding in the Northeast states, tornadoes throughout the mid-West, extreme heat waves through the southern states, extensive flooding in Vermont and New York State, etc., etc. A day doesn’t go by when some form of extreme weather event occurs in both countries. Dry conditions throughout British Columbia and Quebec led to a record number of wildfires during the spring, creating clouds of smoke which not only permeated Ontario and Quebec, but also as far away as New York and Chicago.
For most governments — local, state/provincial and federal — the consequences of extreme weather events have been enormous. Not only are people dying as a result of extreme heat, flooding and wildfires, but homes, businesses and infrastructure have been severely damaged or destroyed. This has resulted in the insurance industry having to re-examine the impact of an increasing number of compensation claims, often in the billions of dollars. In the near future, insurance companies will be withdrawing from more high risk areas. Where insurance continues to be offered, the premiums will be such that few people will be able to afford them.
Most scientists are attributing the extreme patterns as being a consequence of “climate change” and the continued warming of the planet. Most would also agree that it would take extraordinary measures by countries to slow down the current progression of subsequent impacts. For the time being, societies will have to make significant changes in order to adapt to this new reality. Such adaptation will not take months, but years and possibly decades. Every day, targets developed through bodies such as the United Nations become less and less credible. Rapidly moving away from our dependence on fossil fuels to more green energy sources is increasingly becoming an illusion.
Countries continue to argue that the transition can only be made if economic impacts are taken into consideration. However, they also continue to understate the costs associated with weather extremes, especially when it comes to assessing those associated with such sectors as agriculture, tourism, transportation, housing, etc., etc. The costs of many essential inputs to maintain a viable industry are going to keep on increasing exponentially. One only has to look at the impact on freshwater sources due to annual droughts. Demand is outstripping supply in several regions. Access to water is critical to one’s survival.
There are those who argue that new technologies need to be factored into future adaptations. However, there are those who believe that the introduction of new technologies may not be adequate and timely enough. In the meantime, news headlines about severe weather patterns and their impact on affected communities and scarce resources will continue to appear on an almost daily basis. Whether we react in a constructive manner and on an urgent basis, only time will tell? Whether such regular reported events will change the minds of the ‘Nay Sayers’ is another matter. Is humanity prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to effectively tackle the enormous challenges before us, is the biggest question of them all?
FROLITICKS 
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