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The Climate Change Thread

Watching what is happening in BC, is a good reminder that we need to massively rethink a few things going forward. Two particularly points come to mind.

First, we've really done a poor job with infrastructure resiliency. Our building codes need to be updated. And we need to invest in defending and strengthening critical infrastructure for the disasters they will have to endure going forward.

Next is that our chronic military underfunding is coming home to roost. Responding to BC is requiring a substantial chunk of military resources. And we lack a lot of capabilities that would be useful here. I recall when Canada purchased C17s and we had a huge debate on the costs of those aircraft. One of the scenario put forward was the need to reach the Lower Mainland if road and rail access was severed. That was portrayed as fearmongering. Yet, here we are and the C17s in Trenton may be pressed into service moving heavy equipment for the Army. I think we need to have the same discussion on amphibious carriers again.
 
Used to be that "just in time" inventory was the "future". Now with sources getting cut off by weather incidents (flooding, fire, hurricanes, etc.), there will likely be alternative routing and/or better in city warehousing coming soon.
The question is how soon? The CAF has put 4000 personnel on alert, in case they are needed to run logistics for food, water and medical supplies, in BC.
 
Watching what is happening in BC, is a good reminder that we need to massively rethink a few things going forward. Two particularly points come to mind.

First, we've really done a poor job with infrastructure resiliency. Our building codes need to be updated. And we need to invest in defending and strengthening critical infrastructure for the disasters they will have to endure going forward.

Next is that our chronic military underfunding is coming home to roost. Responding to BC is requiring a substantial chunk of military resources. And we lack a lot of capabilities that would be useful here. I recall when Canada purchased C17s and we had a huge debate on the costs of those aircraft. One of the scenario put forward was the need to reach the Lower Mainland if road and rail access was severed. That was portrayed as fearmongering. Yet, here we are and the C17s in Trenton may be pressed into service moving heavy equipment for the Army. I think we need to have the same discussion on amphibious carriers again.

When Eastern Ontario got hit with the massive ice storm in the 1990s we had this same debate yet nothing really changed.
 
When Eastern Ontario got hit with the massive ice storm in the 1990s we had this same debate yet nothing really changed.
I think there might have been improvements, but just not particularly visible. Hydro Quebec did some hardening of their transmission infrastructure as did Hydro One (although I'm not sure how much of that was ice storm related or just a realization that their state-of-good-repair had gone all to hell). I know my former employer did some significant improvements to the disaster sustainability of its communications network.
 
Wonder how many people, themselves, are prepared for any "state of emergency"? Do people have fully charged batteries and power backups available? Do people have three days of food available, that doesn't need running water or electricity or a heating source? Can they open packages without using a electric powered can opener, for example?
 
The question is how soon? The CAF has put 4000 personnel on alert, in case they are needed to run logistics for food, water and medical supplies, in BC.
Is it odd to keep relying on the armed forces to provide what's essentially free labour whenever we have some environmental issue? They're our armed forces, not our nannies.
 
Is it odd to keep relying on the armed forces to provide what's essentially free labour whenever we have some environmental issue? They're our armed forces, not our nannies.

I'm ok with them getting used for such things occasionally. After all, what else are they doing?
 

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