Victoria marked the fifth anniversary of the hottest day ever recorded in the city with a ceremony in “remembrance, solidarity and commitment to protecting communities from future extreme heat events.” “If we don’t commemorate the deaths, these climate disasters and how disastrous they are, we’re not going to take the kind of climate action that we need to prevent future disasters,” said Eric Doherty, a spokesperson for Climate Justice Victoria and event co-organizer. Eric Doherty is a member of Climate Justice Victoria. (Olivier Laurin/Victoria News)
The June 28 event marked the peak of the 2021 heat dome, which spanned June 25 to July 1 and was responsible for the deaths of 600 people in B.C. In the wake of this tragedy, Doherty and his group contend that those deaths were caused by burning fossil fuels over several decades. He added that the tragedy could have been averted if previous governments had not denied the climate crisis. While commemoration was one of the event’s main goals, raising awareness about the current
climate crisis was another. Doherty said he hoped the gathering would spark discussions among attendees, their loved ones and next of kin, and potentially start a chain reaction demanding climate action from politicians. “The clearest one is to stop subsidizing fossil fuels like fracked gas being exported at LNG,” he said. “Shift those billions of dollars over to renewable energy, to public transit and subsidizing heat pumps for people.” Other ways to make a difference, Doherty argued, included connecting with local climate action groups and
getting involved in bringing climate issues to the forefront of the public agenda. “Most people in this region have a pretty dramatic heat dome story, and we need to get people talking to their friends and families about this,” he said. “One of the most important climate actions you can do is to talk about the climate crisis.” With this summer set to welcome an El Niño – a natural climate pattern bringing temperatures much warmer than average – other heat-related deaths may be on
the horizon. However, Doherty believes it is not too late to bring changes and avert another tragedy in the near and far future. “A lot of young people are really just depressed, and they’re feeling betrayed by politicians, and by the older generations,” he said. “But we can create a situation where young people actually think they have a future as opposed to now.”
Victoria, heat dome, Climate Justice Victoria, Eric Doherty, LNG, fossil fuels, extreme heat, El Niño, heat pumps
600 people?? That’s absolutely tragic, but I don’t know why they’re blaming fossil fuels like it’s all that simple.
Heat dome happened in 2021 and now everyone’s doing ceremonies… ok but where were these climate guys when people needed help back then? Sounds like talking, not fixing.
So is this saying El Niño is gonna kill 600 more? Because I keep hearing different numbers. Also LNG is like regular gas right? Like, isn’t that for cars??
I just think it’s weird to call it “denied the climate crisis” like politicians controlled the weather. If they really cared they’d’ve had cooling centers, not only a remembrance thing. And I saw “heat pumps” mentioned—those are super expensive, so yeah easy to say. But maybe fracked gas exports to LNG are part of it? Idk, I’m just tired.