Wildfires, Floods and Extreme Heat: Why Climate Adaptation Matters with Intact Centre

Kathryn Bakos is the Managing Director of Finance and Resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, an applied research center within the faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Canada. 

Our conversation today is all about the inevitable impacts of climate change, including floods, wildfires, and heat waves in particular, as these phenomena are Kathryn's main focus. We talk about the increasing severity of each of these, the preventative efforts that individuals and communities can each take to avoid their worst effects and how risk and insurance industries are navigating these perils. And lastly, we have a conversation about why adaptation measures have seemingly lagged behind decarbonization efforts in the public consciousness about climate change. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [0:00] Overview of the Intact Centre
• [1:30] Canada’s climate vulnerability
• [2:44] Kathryn’s career path
• [4:00] Major risks: flooding, wildfires, heat waves
• [9:59] Responses to flooding: individuals, communities, industries
• [16:55] Updating flood maps and using AI
• [26:07] Wildfire risks: actions for homes and communities
• [34:53] Wildfire insurance and resilience challenges
• [37:42] Balancing adaptation and mitigation
• [41:28] Political will for adaptation measures
• [45:50] Cost-effectiveness of adaptation
• [46:41] Don River and Waterpark Project
• [48:34] Innovation in resilience technologies
• [51:58] Heat risks and urban solutions
• [58:34] Final reflections on resilience efforts

Resources from Intact: 

• Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Flood Protection
• Three Steps to a Cost-Effective FireSmart™ Home
• Three Features of a Wildfire-Ready Community
• Three Steps to Cost-Effective Apartment and Condo Heat Protection
• Three Steps to Cost-Effective Home Heat Protection

Episode recorded on Dec 2, 2024 (Published on Jan 6, 2025)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant