A changing climate in West Vancouver

Spawning Chum Salmon

Canada aims to bring greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2050 or earlier.

Nationally, this means decarbonizing our economy - phasing out fossil fuel production and consumption as an energy source and finding other means to drive our economy.

A big job. But one that our federal government is taking steps toward.

Locally, research shows that 95% of West Vancouver's greenhouse gases (GHGs) are generated by the community.

More than half of those emissions (54%) come from heating homes, with most of the rest attributable to vehicle use (41%).

‘Think globally, act locally’

So while there’s a lot of attention on international discussions and agreements on tackling climate change, we can and must act locally to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

In addition to individual action it requires municipal-level policies and planning which would enable us all to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint.

The areas where local government can affect emissions include land use (density), zoning, building design, roadway design, public transit, active transportation (bike, walk) and vehicle electrification.

We need a district council that will approve projects and policies that tackle climate change today. 

Otherwise GHG emissions will continue to rise, and higher average temperatures will cause drier summers, wetter winters and more frequent extreme weather events. 

We are already seeing the effects very clearly, right here in West Vancouver. 

Lawson Creek, August 2021.

Lawson Creek

In August 2021, West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society halted their proposed restoration of Lower Lawson Creek as a habitat for rearing juvenile salmon, trout and other species.

The project was to be one of the Streamkeepers’ most ambitious, creating a new overwintering habitat similar to the one in Memorial Park.

So why didn’t it move ahead?

An engineering report determined that there is simply not enough water in the stream during the summer to support the young fish that need to mature in the creek before migrating to the ocean. The Streamkeepers said the twin threat of elevated creek temperatures and creek stagnation, attributable to climate change, could be lethal for fish.

Pier and Seawall Damage

Another consequence of climate change is sea-level rise. A 2011 study for the BC government. recommended planning for sea level rise levels of 0.5 metres (50 cm) by the year 2050, 1.0 metre by the year 2100 and 2.0 metres by the year 2200.

While it may be hard to be exercised by these numbers - and dates far into the future - rising seas dramatically increase the risk of extreme flooding when storm surges coincide with high tides.

This January, we experienced exactly that.

A big storm surge on a King tide damaged Hollyburn Sailing Club, our seawall, and the piers at Ambleside and Dundarave. While many of us may be disappointed that they out of commission until next summer, the good news is that the repairs will be paid by the district’s insurers.

As a community we have spent millions to raise the Ferry Building to meet sea-level rise standards. We will need to move the Silk Purse and the Music Box, or demolish them altogether.

Elect ‘climate champions’

These are not remote problems. They are here now and provide evidence of the deleterious effects global warming is having on West Vancouver. 

With municipal elections coming up on Oct 15, it is important that voters in West Vancouver know about these critical issues affecting us all.

And we need to elect a mayor and council that will prioritize measures to stop climate change in these precarious times.

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