Are Canadian summers as we knew them over?
Summary
With Canada experiencing its second-worst wildfire season and widespread heat, this episode delves into how climate change is redefining Canadian summers. It highlights the pervasive impacts on daily life, from managing outdoor activities for children to the unpreparedness of urban infrastructure and emergency services. The discussion also addresses the disproportionate effects on Indigenous and low-income communities, the emotional toll on parents, and the urgent need for societal adaptation and systemic change.Episode description
This summer is on track to being the second-worst wildfire season in Canadian history. It started earlier than usual with emergencies declared in the spring in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and is hitting locales that aren't typically fire-prone like Vancouver Island and Atlantic Canada. Meanwhile, fires from neighbouring provinces gave parts of southern Ontario some of the worst air quality in the world.
So what does this mean for the Canadian summers of our childhood, spent mostly carefree and outdoors? What needs to be done for us to adapt to the prospect of more fires and heat to come — especially for kids growing up in this new reality? Denise Balkissoon, executive editor of The Narwhal, joins us to talk about how to navigate the ambient dread of our country's changing climate.
Denise published a piece today about this in the Narwhal, which you can read here: www.thenarwhal.ca/seasonal-depression-summer-climate-change/
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