Water Institute member Blair Feltmate points to the study's predictions for quadrupling of flooding along the Halifax waterfront as sea levels rise 20 centimetres over current levels by mid century.
Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, said in an interview Friday that projections of 75 centimetres to one metre of relative sea level rise for the East Coast by the end of the century are “a wake up call and a call to arms.”
He was reacting to Chapter 7 of Canada’s Changing Climate Report, which includes a survey of federal science on sea level rise under various emissions scenarios developed by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Jason Thistlethwaite, Water Institute member and professor of environment and business at the University of Waterloo, says all Canadian jurisdictions also need to rapidly begin providing easily accessible flood risk maps for citizens.
In other G8 countries maps are used to raise public awareness and help create the political will for investment in preparing for sea level rise, he said.
A recent study by his research group indicated many Canadians lack access to clear maps that tell them the risks to their property and what actions to take to prevent flooding, he said.
“This report demonstrates the urgency of this issue … This is reminding us that climate change will have disproportionate impact on northern countries and we’re one of them,” said Thistlethwaite in an interview Saturday."
Read the full story in the National Post