The Case for Adapting to Extreme Heat: Costs of the 2021 BC Heat Wave
June 2023 – Canadian Climate Institute
British Columbia’s June 2021 heat wave was the deadliest disaster in provincial history, and when the costs of the 619 lives lost from heat exposure are included, it was also one of the most costly. It reinforced the importance of being prepared for extreme heat events and the responsibility of all orders of government to urgently implement adaptation measures to protect people, communities, and the economy before the next major heat wave sweeps across the province.
This new report is the first cost analysis of the heat dome in late June 2021. It found that extreme heat could kill 1,370 people and send 6,000 to hospital each year in British Columbia by 2030 if the province doesn’t adapt its essential infrastructure. Intense heat waves could also cost the province around $100 million in health care and more than $12 billion in life lost annually by the decade’s end.
The report is calling on the province to urgently factor the cost of lives lost into heat planning; to make shade and mechanical cooling devices available in residences and hospitals; and to consider heat-related risks in critical infrastructure like electrical grids and roads.
Go to resource: The Case for Adapting to Extreme Heat: Costs of the 2021 BC Heat Wave