CBC News - Floods, droughts, storms will cost Canadian economy $139B in next 30 years, report says
Water Issues Brayden McNeill Water Issues Brayden McNeill

CBC News - Floods, droughts, storms will cost Canadian economy $139B in next 30 years, report says

A new report by GHD, titled Aquanomics, begins to quantify and forecast the economic impacts that the world’s economies will face as a result of climate change effects on hydrologic systems. “Much of the Canadian industry is dependent on water. If [the] availability of water is reduced as a result of increasing [extended] periods of droughts, then that is expected to have a significant impact”

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Globe and Mail - Building on river floodplains has proven costly and devastating to Canadians.
Water Issues Brayden McNeill Water Issues Brayden McNeill

Globe and Mail - Building on river floodplains has proven costly and devastating to Canadians.

A new analysis by the Globe and Mail (using new floodplain maps developed by the University of Western Ontario) reveals just how vulnerable Canadian cities are to flooding, with more than 30 Canadian cities with populations >10,000 having at least 10% of the cities buildings located in a 100-year floodplain, a risky exposure even today. But how will hydrologic conditions change in the future? What impact will climate change exert on floodplains? In fact, what does a “100-year” flood even mean when the climate changes? We know that climate change increases extreme precipitation, so how can we account for these future changes today? These are all questions that we are hoping to explore with the Canada 1 Water project.

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International Water Management Institute - Declining freshwater storage: A hidden crisis
Water Issues Brayden McNeill Water Issues Brayden McNeill

International Water Management Institute - Declining freshwater storage: A hidden crisis

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has released a new working paper (Change in global freshwater storage) which highlights the need for strategic thinking about the longevity of the world’s freshwater stores, especially ‘operational’ water storage (i.e. the portion of global water resources which can actually be utilized by people). The paper highlights some worrying trends, with a total loss of global terrestrial water storage of approximately 27,000 billion cubic meters! These losses are driven by melting glaciers, degradation of lakes/wetlands and over-abstraction of groundwater resources.

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