This week marked the official start of spring, traditionally a time when we look forward to longer, warmer days ahead.
But this year it feels like we mostly skipped over winter. As anyone who bought a season ski pass can attest, winter was unseasonably warm.
Snowpack across the province – including in the mountains above Metro Vancouver – is sitting at its second lowest level ever recorded. That points to less water being available to slow drying of the forests and provide for both drinking water and fisheries in summer.
The best meteorological guesses are that this spring and summer will bring warmer-than-usual temperatures across B.C.
That’s on top of a hot summer last year. And patterns of prolonged drought tend to reinforce themselves.
In light of this, we have to be prepared. The province is stepping up its own wildfire monitoring early, which is welcome news. In spring, especially, most wildfires are started by people, so it’s crucial that anyone heading into the backcountry be careful. Fire bans have already started in some parts of the province and will likely soon ramp up here on the North Shore as well.
When it comes to managing our water supply, we’d argue that greater restrictions earlier in the season make sense in our changing climate. Watering of lawns with treated drinking water is not something we should expect to see continue into the future. Water meters would also seem to be a no brainer.
Our world is getting warmer. We need to pay attention and act accordingly.
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