Hotter, Wetter, Wilder: How Canadian Society is Preparing for Irreversible Climate Change and Extreme Weather Risk

Blair Felmate, PhD

Extreme weather risk, driven by a changing climate, is contributing to costly floods, fires, hail and wind storms across Canada. Is Canada prepared? Recognizing that climate change is irreversible, this talk will emphasize Canada’s current state of preparedness for climate change, and the need to adapt quickly in anticipation of a more challenging future. The talk will emphasize the need – and practical means – to limit Canada’s most costly extreme weather risk – community and residential flooding.

• Appreciation that climate change is irreversible.
• Canada is developing advanced standards to mitigate extreme weather risk.
• Countries need to place greater emphasis on adaptating to extreme weather risk.

Presented by Blair Felmate, PhD – Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo

Blair is the Head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo. Previous positions he has held include Vice President, Sustainable Development, Bank of Montreal; Partner, Sustainable Investment Group/YMG Capital Management. Blair has written textbooks on Sustainable Banking (University of Toronto Press), and Aquatic Ecology (CAB International). He is generally interviewed by the media 100 times per year. He is a member of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Council, Global Risk Institute. Blair is Chair, Adaptation Committee, Canadian Institute for Climate Choices (Environment and Climate Change Canada). He is on the Advisory Board, Climate Change, Minister of Environment (Ontario). He was Chair, Federal Government of Canada Expert Panel on Climate Adaptation; and, Chair, Electricity Transmission and Distribution Adaptation Standard, Canadian Standards Association. He is former Chair, Pollution Probe, and he was Chair, Sustainable Electricity Program, Canadian Electricity Association. Blair was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Waterloo. He holds a Ph.D in Theoretical and Applied Ecology (University of Toronto), Master’s in Sustainable Development (Wilfrid Laurier University), Master’s in Zoology (University of Toronto), and Hon. Bachelor’s Biology (University of Toronto),