Recent developments in British Columbia highlight the ongoing challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. A new study indicates that emissions from the world’s largest fossil fuel producers are intensifying heat waves. Additionally, the B.C. government has mandated some farmers to halt irrigation to protect endangered chinook salmon.

The study, conducted by Swiss climate scientists, found that approximately one-quarter of the 213 heat waves analyzed, including the severe 2021 heat dome in B.C., would have been nearly impossible without human-induced climate change. The researchers linked emissions from major fossil fuel and cement companies to about half of the increase in heat wave intensity. “These results are relevant not only in the scientific community but also for climate policy, litigation and wider efforts concerning corporate accountability,” said a lead researcher from ETH Zurich.

In another alarming finding, a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Nature estimates that smoke from the record-breaking Canadian wildfires in 2023 caused around 5,400 acute deaths and approximately 82,100 premature deaths globally. Canadian co-author Michael Brauer described the findings as a “wake-up call” for regions that have not previously experienced prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke. The study attributes the health impacts to particulate pollution from the wildfires, which were the worst on record for Canada.

On the conservation front, 88 groups and First Nations are urging the B.C. government to fulfill promises made five years ago to reform the logging industry to protect old-growth forests. In 2019, an independent panel was established to gather input on old-growth forests, leading to a strategic review with 14 recommendations. Critics argue that while some progress has been made, such as engaging with First Nations and increasing logging deferrals, key recommendations remain unaddressed, particularly those aimed at protecting biodiversity.

The B.C. government has also taken action to protect endangered chinook salmon by ordering forage-crop farmers in the southern region to stop using irrigation due to critically low stream flows. Randene Neill, B.C.’s minister of water, land and resource stewardship, emphasized that such measures are a last resort after voluntary actions have failed. The order affects 490 users in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds, including farmers growing grass, alfalfa, and corn.

As climate change continues to escalate, the need for effective policies and actions becomes increasingly urgent. The UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change has long warned that human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and livestock farming, are the primary drivers of climate change, leading to rising greenhouse gas levels and increased global temperatures. The panel has issued a code red for humanity, indicating that the window to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing.