Above: Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson tells Tom Clark how the City of Vancouver is preparing for rising sea levels and why they need more support from provincial and federal governments.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is calling for more aid from the federal and provincial governments to help save Canada’s coastal cities from the impact of rising sea levels.
“We absolutely have to see dramatically more support from the Government of Canada and from the provincial governments to deal with the impacts of climate change,” Robertson said in an interview on The West Block with Tom Clark.
A report by the now defunct National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy already predicted rising sea level will cause between $2.1 billion and $7.6 billion in damages by 2050 for B.C. That was before two new reports published last week highlighted a major problem in Antarctica.
Scientists say the huge West Antarctic ice sheet is starting a glacially slow collapse in an unstoppable way which will lead to a rise in sea level higher than previously thought.
A NASA study looking at 40 years of ground, airplane and satellite data of what researchers call “the weak underbelly of West Antarctica” shows the melt is happening faster than scientists had predicted, crossing a critical threshold that has begun a domino-like process.
READ MORE: Parts of West Antarctic ice sheet beginning slow collapse studies show
It’s not a quick process but cities like Vancouver are already dealing with the effects of climate change.
“We are starting to see pretty dramatic impacts as the sea levels rise and extreme weather combine,” says Robertson.
As things escalate, the city says industrial lands, historic areas and public space will be hit the hardest. Even the city’s international airport – which is at sea level – is in danger.
“We do expect the coastline will change significantly given all our low-lying areas,” said Robertson.
A local study estimates $25 billion worth of real estate will be at risk from sea level rise in Vancouver by the end of the century. The city has already launched an adaptation strategy with an eye on preparation and prevention, which is reviewed annually.
Researchers say the unstoppable melt is likely caused by man-made global warming and the ozone hole, which together have changed the Antarctic winds and warmed the water that is slowly eating away at the feet of the ice.
“The system is in sort of a chain reaction that is unstoppable,” said NASA glaciologist Eric Rignot, chief author of the NASA study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. “Every process in this reaction is feeding the next one.”
According to Rignot, curbing emissions from fossil fuels to slow climate change could slow the speed of the problem.
Robertson says that’s another area where the federal government should be doing more.
“Frankly, we have to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gases to prevent even deeper catastrophe and that means a focus on renewable energy. That has to be number one. The energy decisions have to be focused on eliminating emissions.”
– With files from The Associated Press
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