Published at 2:02 am. Updated at 7:00 a.m.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
Damage caused by flood and storm in Sainte-Flavie on December 6, 2010
Coastal erosion
The storm of December 6, 2010, which swept away up to 15 m of coastline, brutally demonstrated this: climate change is increasing coastal erosion and flooding. “When the big storms come in December, the bank is no longer protected from erosion by the ice,” explains CRE CEO Patrick Morin. However, coastal erosion has the same effects as all river floods, emphasizes the health director of the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent, Dr. Sylvain Leduc. “It creates considerable fear, and not just in the immediate event! » More than 2,200 buildings are at risk of being affected by 2065, representing a bill of $384 million. As for inland floods, they are now likely to occur “at any time of the year,” warns the vulnerability inventory recently published by the CISSS.
PHOTO FRÉDériC CHOUINARD, PROVIDED BY SOPFEU
The smoke from the forest fires that raged on June 23rd (here in Lebel-sur-Quévillon) affected many regions.
Forest
Even though 85% of the territory is forested, forest fires have historically been “a unique and insignificant phenomenon in Bas-Saint-Laurent”. However, the region can be affected by secondhand smoke from the north, as smog warnings showed last summer. Public Health has even had to question the holding of sporting events such as the Quebec Games and the Rimouski Marathon – something that has never happened in the region. “The entire population of Lower Laurentian has become aware of the speed at which climate change is developing,” emphasizes Dr. Sylvain Leduc.
PHOTO GETTY IMAGES
In Bas-Saint-Laurent there will be more and more days above 30°C.
heat
The region averages only two days above 30°C per year, but between 2041 and 2070 these days will be five times more common. “And in the face of climate change, not everyone is equal. “There are people for whom buying a heat pump or an air conditioner is not an option,” emphasizes Mr. Morin. The region has many seniors who are particularly vulnerable to heat: in 2041, 36% of the population will be aged 65 or older (compared to 26% in Quebec as a whole). However, more than 25% of seniors here live below the low-income threshold, and even more of women (28.7%).
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Climate change could expand ragweed territory (in photo).
Intruders
In addition to lengthening the seasonal allergy season, climate change could expand ragweed’s range toward the east of the region, where it is not yet very common. “Ambrosia follows the highways. When we did our last mapping, everything had changed enormously,” emphasizes Dr. Sylvain Leduc. The blacklegged tick also pursues expansive goals. In Bas-Saint-Laurent, there are no cases of Lyme disease in the region, but a quarter of the Ixodes scapularis ticks tested there in 2021 were infected with the bacteria responsible for the disease (Borrelia burgdoferi).
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Stroll along the river in Rimouski
mobilization
The ability to mobilize is crucial in adapting, but in the face of this challenge, Bas-Saint-Laurent can count on a strong sense of belonging to the community, notes Dr. Leduc firmly. “When tragic events occur, be it climatic or otherwise, mobilization is well carried out,” he said, referring to the ram truck attack last March in Amqui. “It’s a tight-knit area with a lot of organization and social cohesion, and that made our job much easier. »The social structure is one of the region’s great advantages, believes Patrick Morin. “If there is a fire or a flood, of course people help each other. This is a factor of resilience to climate change. »