The City of Burlington is hosting a virtual launch of Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather with a free online event.
In the online event, participants will learn more about the CRB project and hear from keynote speaker David Phillips, Senior Climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada as he presents “Weather and Climate: It’s Not What Our Grandparents Knew.” Participants will have an opportunity to ask David questions after his presentation.
Canadians love to talk about weather. In the past, we used to take comfort in a relatively predictable climate where winters were cold, summers were hot and when the term ‘April showers bring May flowers’ didn’t include the fear of torrential downpours and flooding. Burlington has not been unscathed and on Aug. 4, 2014, 190 mm of rain fell resulting in over 3,000 properties being flooded. Through David’s factual and entertaining storytelling presentation, David will highlight what’s happening to our weather, what should we be worried about, and what we can do to make a difference and be better prepared.
Registration and details are at getinvolvedburlington.ca/crb.
Date: Oct. 27, 2021
Time: 7 to 9 p.m.
Location: Online. Meeting link will be posted on getinvolvedburlington.ca/crb
About David Phillips
David has been employed with Environment Canada's weather service for 50 years. His work activities relate to the study of the climate of Canada and to promote awareness and understanding of meteorology. He has published several books, papers and reports, including a book on The Climates of Canada, and two bestsellers: The Day Niagara Falls Ran Dry and Blame It On The Weather. He was the originator and author of the Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar. David frequently appears on national radio and television as a commentator on weather and climate matters. He has been awarded the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals and has twice received the Public Service Merit Award. David is the recipient of three honorary doctorates from the universities of Waterloo and Windsor and Nipissing University. In 2001, David was named to the Order of Canada.
About Climate Resilience Burlington
On April 23, 2019, Burlington City Council declared a climate emergency “for the purposes of deepening our commitment to protecting our economy, environment and community from climate change.”
Burlington is one of many local governments planning actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within city operations and community-wide to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. However, we must also do what we can to adapt to our changing climate which is projected to be warmer, wetter and wilder.
Actions related to climate adaptation are already being carried out locally. Developing Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather, will help identify additional vulnerabilities and risks requiring further attention and align actions to plan for our changing climate.
Burlington is a City where people, nature and businesses thrive. As residents continue to rediscover many of their favourite spaces and activities in the city, City services may look different as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19. The City’s commitment to providing the community with essential services remains a priority. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and follow @CityBurlington on social media.
Quotes
Lynn Robichaud, Manager, Environmental Sustainability
“Climate change poses a serious threat to everyone, especially those who cannot afford to repair homes due to flooding, high winds, ice storms and other threats. It is important we understand these issues, talk about them with our friends and family and learn how we can all take action. David will provide valuable insight and having him is a great way to launch Climate Resilience Burlington.”
David Phillips, Senior Climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada
“In recent years, we’ve made huge advances in our understanding of the science of climate change and its impacts on people, places and things. As such, we have now moved from talking about climate and its averages to experiencing weather and its extremes. Extreme weather is no longer a one-off event or just bad luck but is a trend that is not about to go away. We need to anticipate, prepare and reduce the climate risk by weather-proofing our communities.”
Links and Resources
Climate Resilient Burlington: getinvolvedburlington.ca/crb
Direct link to registration: attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8760525338332190991
Environment: burlington.ca/environment
Take Action Burlington: takeactionburlington.ca/
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