Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes

The June 2021 heatwave in British Columbia was the deadliest disaster in the province's history, resulting in 619 heat-related deaths. The report estimates the economic value of these lost lives at 5.5 billion CAD using the value of a statistical life. Key vulnerabilities identified include a lack of mechanical cooling in residential and public buildings, inadequate urban canopy, and institutional failures in emergency coordination and early warning systems. Economic impacts extended to agriculture, where producers lost at least 25 million CAD in revenue, and the labor market, with significant productivity losses. Future projections suggest that without adaptation, heat-related hospitalizations could reach 6,000 per year by 2030, and annual heat-related deaths could average 1,370 by 2030. The report recommends prioritizing mechanical cooling, urban greening, updating building codes, and improving the precision and lead time of weather warnings to three days.

• The June 2021 heatwave was one of British Columbia's most expensive disasters when accounting for human life, with 619 deaths directly linked to heat. The economic value of avoiding these deaths is estimated at 5.5 billion CAD based on the value of a statistical life, while direct healthcare costs were 12 million CAD.
• A critical vulnerability was the lack of mechanical cooling in homes and buildings; 98% of deaths and hospitalizations occurred due to exposure to extreme temperatures inside buildings. Only 7.4% of those who died had air conditioning at home, and for only 15% of those, the system was functioning at the time of death.
• Urban planning and the 'urban heat island' effect exacerbated temperatures, particularly in socially and materially disadvantaged neighborhoods with high asphalt/concrete surfaces and low tree cover. Urban greening and reflective surfaces could reduce deaths and hospitalizations, with a projected return on investment between 0.90 and 1.4 CAD per dollar invested.
• Essential infrastructure was pushed to its limits: some hospitals experienced equipment failures (such as MRI and CT scanners) due to heat, and BC Hydro recorded 19 historical summer demand records, including a peak of 8,568 megawatts on June 28, 2021.
• The agricultural sector suffered significant losses, with producers losing at least 25 million CAD in revenue. Specific impacts included the death of approximately 661,000 poultry and a 25% decrease in farmed mussel production compared to previous years.
• Labor productivity and safety were severely impacted. Heat-related workplace accidents requiring compensation increased by 180% compared to the previous three-year average. Income losses for workers were estimated between 205 and 328 million CAD.
• Institutional and policy gaps hindered the emergency response. Many disaster protocols, such as the 'Code Orange' for hospitals or the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre (PECC), were not activated or were delayed, leading to coordination failures and bottlenecks in ambulance and emergency room services.
• Indigenous communities faced disproportionate impacts due to systemic vulnerabilities and colonial legacies. 40% of Indigenous people in BC are homeless or in precarious housing, and the heatwave negatively affected the availability and quality of traditional foods, such as blueberries and salmon.
• Future projections indicate that without adaptation, heat-related hospitalizations in BC could reach 6,000 per year by 2030, costing at least 100 million CAD annually. Annual heat-related deaths could average 1,370 by 2030, with a societal cost of 12.2 billion CAD based on VVS.
• Weather forecasting is sufficiently accurate to extend public heat warnings to three days in advance. Analysis shows that temperature forecasts were generally accurate at this lead time, with an estimated 15% increase in false alarms, which is lower than the average error for other extreme weather events.

APA

Beugin, D., Clark, D., Miller, S., Ness, R., Pelai, R., & Wale, J. (2023). Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes. Canadian Climate Institute. https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arguments-en-faveur-d-une-adaptation-aux-chaleurs-extremes.pdf

Chicago

Beugin, Dale, Dylan Clark, Sarah Miller, Ryan Ness, Ricardo Pelai, and Janna Wale. Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes. Canadian Climate Institute, 2023. https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arguments-en-faveur-d-une-adaptation-aux-chaleurs-extremes.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Beugin |first1=Dale |last2=Clark |first2=Dylan |last3=Miller |first3=Sarah |last4=Ness |first4=Ryan |last5=Pelai |first5=Ricardo |last6=Wale |first6=Janna |title=Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes |publisher=Canadian Climate Institute |date=June 2023 |url=https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arguments-en-faveur-d-une-adaptation-aux-chaleurs-extremes.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{beugin2023arguments, author = {Beugin, Dale and Clark, Dylan and Miller, Sarah and Ness, Ryan and Pelai, Ricardo and Wale, Janna}, title = {{Arguments en faveur d’une adaptation aux chaleurs extrêmes}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://institutclimatique.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Arguments-en-faveur-d-une-adaptation-aux-chaleurs-extremes.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }