In early March 2023, Canadian provinces began the yearly wildfire season. To prevent wildfires, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) monitors areas at risk, and advisories commonly seasonally restrict open-air burning, campfires, and any outdoor activity including fire with heavily enforced measures. The CIFFC attempts to control any blazes that begin, but lightning has initiated a large number of wildfires this year in Canada, particularly in remote areas of Alberta and northern Quebec with limited access, and many fires continue to burn out of control. Yearly trends show an increase in wildfires as climate change effects heighten temperatures and alter precipitation and wind patterns. The impact of wildfires on air quality has spread throughout Canada and parts of the USA, and cancelled flights, poor visibility, and health impacts have drawn greater attention to wildfires, and their effects.

In June of 2023, wildfires reached an unprecedented rate, with this season reaching the title of worst in Canadian history, with drastic affects to air quality, and 76,000 square kilometers burning across the country (1). In Quebec alone, over 1.3 million hectares of forest had burned this year as of July 3^rd, versus a 10 year average of 9,901.8 hectares burned on the same date, or over 140 times greater than the 10 year average (2). Among the forests at risk of being destroyed are those which have been designated World Heritage forests by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as biodiversity-rich habitats that play a crucial role in carbon regulation (3). As major sinks for storing carbon, threats to these forests pose serious consequences, for climate health depends heavily on nature’s carbon sequestration (4).

On a positive note, steps are being taken by the Government of Canada to adapt to and prevent future major effects of climate change, one of which is the National Adaptation Strategy (NAS). Released in November 2022, the NAS is the result of a two year, nationwide engagement to create a “framework to reduce the risk of climate-related disasters, improve health outcomes, protect nature and biodiversity, build and maintain resilient infrastructure, and support a strong economy and workers” (5). It provides a roadmap of actions and targets, with $164.2 million in investments dedicated to the NAS to reach these goals. 

These actionable adaptation targets and funding for their achievement provide renewed hope for the near future, but rising temperatures caused by climate change will continue to be a genuine threat to people, wildlife, and important habitats and ecosystems. It will take global cooperation to fully address the overarching threats of climate change, and to prevent a repeat of the dramatic loss of forest and air quality impacts of the 2023 Canadian wildfire season.

Sources:

1. Canadian Wildfire Emissions Reach Record High. 2023, Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/canadian-wildfire-emissions-reach-record-high-2023-2023-06-27/

2. SOPFEU (Société de Protection des Forets Contre le Feu) mobile app 3 July 2023.

3. World Heritage forests: carbon sinks under pressure. 2021, IUCN.

https://www.iucn.org/resources/jointly-published/world-heritage-forests-carbon-sinks-under-pressure

4. New research quantifies climate benefits from UNESCO World Heritage Forests. 2021, UNESCO World Heritage Convention.

https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2344/

5. Plan, prepare, act: Government of Canada launces first National Adaptation Strategy. 2023, Environment & Climate Change Canada, Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2023/06/plan-prepare-act-government-of-canada-launches-first-national-adaptation-strategy.html