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A multi-perspective examination of heat waves affecting Metro Vancouver: now into the future

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Abstract

Using studies of places where heat waves are common, projected changes in heat waves in Metro Vancouver are assessed from a multi-disciplinary perspective with respect to the potential impacts of the physical change on the people and infrastructure with the intention of being better prepared for future events. Trends in maximum temperature parameters for Metro Vancouver for the past 75 years are generally not statistically significant; however, projections for 2041–2060 and 2081–2100 suggest that the region will experience such events more frequently in the future due to climate change. While Metro Vancouver, British Columbia (BC) generally does not typically experience heat waves it was strongly affected by a major heat event in July 2009, with temperature records being broken at Vancouver (≥31 °C) on the coast and at Abbotsford (≥36 °C) 65-km inland. A lack of sea breeze during this event meant that there was no cooling effect, and land surface temperatures over the downtown area approached 40 °C and excess deaths occurred. Many victims were either in the 65–74 age category, the vulnerable poor, or people with mental health issues. Because these events are rare, many buildings lack air-conditioning, and residents of Metro Vancouver under-anticipate their vulnerability. The costs of health-related impacts outweighed those related to higher electricity usage.

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Acknowledgements

This research was conducted within the Coastal Cities at Risk (CCaR) Network, which is sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Grant No. 106372-010 together with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). We would like to thank Andrew Berrisford of BC Hydro who kindly provided electricity usage information, Ruping Mo from Environment Canada who provided climatological information, and Sarah Henderson, from the BC Centre for Disease Control, who provided information on the 2009 heat wave impacts and responses in BC. We would particularly thank our international partners in the CCaR research network for discussions regarding to adaptation to extreme events in coastal cities.

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  1. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Ronald E. Stewart & Daniel Betancourt

  2. University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    James B. Davies, Robert Lannigan & Kathy Tang

  3. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Deborah Harford, Yaheli Klein & Paul H. Whitfield

  4. University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Linda Mortsch & Erin O’Connell

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  1. Ronald E. Stewart
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Correspondence to Ronald E. Stewart.

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Stewart, R.E., Betancourt, D., Davies, J.B. et al. A multi-perspective examination of heat waves affecting Metro Vancouver: now into the future. Nat Hazards 87, 791–815 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-2793-7

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