The Conservation Council’s Director of Climate Change and Energy Solutions, Dr. Louise Comeau, was quoted in article published on August 12, 2016 in Daily Gleaner on Fredericton’s record number of heat alerts issued this past month.
“The number of days reaching above 30 degrees Celsius is only going to continue to grow in the province until we get serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions provincially, nationally, and globally,” said Comeau.
“The other side of the coin is the extreme bursts of precipitation that we are also experiencing. These extreme rainfall events are the other side of the climate change coin,” she added.
On September 30th, 2015 Fredericton and surrounding rural areas bore the brunt of an extreme rainfall event that dropped more than 100 mm of rain in less than a 24-hour period. The storm washed out roads in rural areas, as well as parts of Highway 7 between Fredericton and Saint John.
Since 2010, extreme weather events in every part of the province have cost taxpayers more than $80 million in repairs to public infrastructure.
Between July 13 and July 27 of this year, the Fredericton government issued seven heat alerts warning those vulnerable to the heat, especially seniors, to be cautious of the sun and stay hydrated. The previously record was seven Level 1 heat alerts in 2014.
Read the full story here.