On the website of the Ministry of Public Security, the most consulted tab these days is the one that provides information on “floods”. Who to contact in the event of flooding? What to do in the absence of immediate answers? The damage caused on Quebec territory by the remains of the tropical storm Debby have caused many headaches for thousands of Quebecers surprised by torrential and short rains. This scenario is taking on the appearance of a bad déjà vu.
In total, 55 municipalities were affected by the recent event. As of Monday, of the 550,000 homes that were without power due to the flooding, 3,200 were still without power. Sections of roads have collapsed, and other roads remain impassable because too much water is preventing traffic. Hundreds of homes have been flooded, turning basements into ponds. Insurers are trying to cope with sudden demand; sellers of generators and water pumps are doing great business. These extreme events are not without danger to life: an octogenarian died after being swept away by the waters of the Bastican River in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, Mauricie, after a section of the road collapsed. In the United States, where the storm Debby The first clashes raged, with at least six people losing their lives.
Public Security Minister François Bonnardel has warned that starting this Monday, the General Disaster Financial Assistance Program will be available to victims of this latest climate incident, a welcome boost for those whose insurers cannot cover certain damages. Since last Friday, when rainfall records were broken in several cities in southern Quebec, eight municipalities have had to declare a state of emergency. The new normal now consists of driving on viaducts that have suddenly turned into rivers, planning a water pumping system designed to handle the worst floods, and ensuring intensive surveillance of toilet bowls in the event of a storm. It’s crazy!
As crazy as it may seem, we might as well prepare for the recurrence of these types of situations. The impact of climate change on human activities—also caused by human activities, let’s not forget—is staring us in the face, now disrupting our summers with fires, floods, suffocating heat waves, forest fires and torrential rains. The “extreme events” whose recurrence has been predicted by environmental experts for a long time are coming to the table. Get out the umbrellas, deploy the emergency plans!
Climate change is not a matter of the future, but of the present. That is why we must develop our climate resilience, individually and collectively. Climate resilience? In the face of this constant threat, our ability to cope, to face risks and dangers, to anticipate and adapt to the worst, to reduce climate-related risks.
In its 2030 Green Economy Plan, Quebec has included a whole chapter on adaptation to climate change. The intentions are clear, and good. The oppressive heat, heavy rains, floods, coastal erosion and submersion, agriculture, forest fires: all these climate changes are accompanied by actions proposed not only to citizens, but also to municipalities.
However, between theory and reality, there are a few good… puddles of water. To counter the detestable effects of torrential rains that the earth cannot absorb in record time, leading to the effects we know, Quebec recommends not favoring asphalt surfaces, but rather encouraging the planting of plants. A beautiful paradox: our entire road network is unsuitable for the bad weather that awaits us. Even if a few happy initiatives here and there highlight green infrastructure, with multiple benefits (reduction of heat islands, improvement of air quality, pleasant environment that is favorable for physical and mental health), our ambitions remain modest while the needs are colossal.
Time is against us, because the planet has overtaken us. Even if the emergency in all four corners of the globe translates into cataclysms of all kinds, political action is played out in small steps, while everything conspires to advocate the urgent mode of action. For decision-makers to accelerate the pace in order to facilitate the energy transition and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, citizens have a say. By repeatedly and seriously disrupting the daily lives of populations, climate change has crossed the threshold of theory to become a very disruptive reality. Voters have the power to change things by campaigning for more drastic political action.