While Ontario may be well prepared to handle potential flooding caused by increased precipitation related to climate change, one senior research at Environment Canada says the province is lagging when it comes to the other side of the coin.
Environment Canada senior researcher Linda Mortsch.
“I could argue that here in Ontario that we are the least prepared,” says Linda Mortsch, adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, of preparedness for drought situations.
“Ontario has a good history of dealing with an overabundance of water, whereas I don’t think we’re quite as well prepared to deal with drought.”
Speaking as part of a special lecture series on the topic of Public Policy Dimensions of Water Security in the Context of Climate Change, and put on by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, Mortsch says the climate is changing and warming is inevitable.
As such, there will be swings in the weather – having not enough water, then having too much water.
“We have human health issues because of flooding, and then we have not enough water to maintain ecosystem function,” she says, noting higher water levels will play havoc with municipal infrastructure and increase the vulnerability to damaging floods.
More intense precipitation can also lead to an increase in water-borne diseases and affect agriculture practices, all of which will need to be re-evaluated in the future, she adds.
“It’s likely that we’ll have more intense precipitation events but they will be followed by longer periods without any precipitation and that leads to the potential for drought,” says Mortsch. What’s needed, she says, is a discussion about the importance of ecological needs compared to needs of area residents when it comes to water.
Add to the flood/drought debate the expected lower water levels of the Great Lakes. Suddenly it is apparent individuals, communities and governments need to prepare to adapt to these foreseeable changes.
“With adaptation we need to expand our coping range and become more resilient. Part of due diligence is to plan for potentials,” says Mortsch. “From one particular change you can have multiple interacting effects throughout different parts of the economy – perhaps happening at the same time – and you have to think about adaptation and planning to deal with all the impacts simultaneously.”
Mortsch says incorporating climate change into decision-making is slowly beginning to happen in vulnerable sectors, government programs and regulations. But progress is limited not only by physical and ecological factors, but also social or political roadblocks.
“One of the big challenges to adaptation is simply the acceptance of climate change and how important people think the issue is,” she says. “Some of the climate changes may be so significant and rapid that we won’t be able to adapt. We may have to accept some losses.”
Mortsch adds communities, as well as individuals, need to begin to manage their actions, anticipating the potential impact of changing climate and considering how they will respond.
“The challenge is, in part, we really are newbies in all this. We don’t really have all the tools or techniques. We don’t even have the understanding,” she says.
“But it is also an opportunity, particularly if you’re interested in research. There are a lot of new areas to delve into. We have the opportunity to try new ideas and really make a difference and change. We are going to be going through a very significant and rapid change and here is our opportunity to really start to make a difference.”