In Case You Didn't Notice

 


Fire the confetti cannons. June was the hottest June on record. Not just by a little. By a bunch.

North America endured the hottest June on record last month, according to satellite data that shows temperature peaks lasting longer as well as rising higher.

The heat dome above western Canada and the north-west United States generated headlines around the world as daily temperature records were shattered across British Columbia, Washington and Portland.

The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service also revealed that June temperatures in North America were 1.2C higher than the average from 1991 to 2020, which is more than 2C above pre-industrial levels.

This is the 12th consecutive year of above-average June temperatures in the region, and the greatest increase recorded until now.

It's funny how the federal and provincial governments can knock heads on things such as a tax hike of a few cents a litre at the gas pump. Hell, that'll get them flocking to the Supreme Court. The climate emergency? They're asleep at the wheel. People are dying, homes burnt to a cinder, we even have a die-off of marine life in the Salish Sea, and the met people are saying we're just getting started. If the snow pack melts it means there won't be enough cold water to allow our salmon to spawn. That can have a huge impact on our fishery. If the drought continues on the prairie our grain production can be impacted. In Manitoba, crops and forage are failing and it's compounded by a plague of grasshoppers that have migrated out of the south. Farmers warn we may face food shortages.

Why aren't our premiers and prime minister gathering to formulate a plan to respond to this emergency? The message seems to be that they don't do emergencies. The danger is that failing to get and stay ahead of emergencies can court disaster. Expecting action from our heads of government seems pointless. I fear we're on our own.

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