To: Dr. Erika Paterson
From: Dakota Tryhuba, English 301 student
Date: February 1, 2019
Subject: Proposal for resolving an urban controversy concerning extreme heat conditions on Montréal’s urban development
Introduction
My research proposal is to assume that I am an advisor to the city council for the City of Montréal. I have been asked to research the controversy of heat waves and the urban heat island effect in Montréal and develop a short report on the issue that provides some recommendations for the city council to review.
One of the most critical issues facing our world today is climate change, which the United Nations has described as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Simply put, climate change is a byproduct of human-related driving forces such as the combustion of fossil fuels and land-use changes, with wide-ranging consequences for the planet and human settlements in all corners of the world. One of the most imminent consequences of climate change is the increased frequency and intensity of heat waves. Heat waves can have considerable health impacts, even in the context of developed countries. Since 1880, the global average surface temperature has increased by 0.85℃ (Maslin, 2014), and as more and more CO₂ emissions are released into the atmosphere, the effects of climate change will gravely threaten and challenge human society.
Statement of Problem
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (2010) has shown that in Canada, all four seasons have seen a warming trend since 1948. According to ECCC’s study, the hottest year on record was surpassed in 2010 making it the warmest year for Canada in 63 years. The study showed that the temperatures for the 12-month period from December 2009 to November 2010 averaged 2.9°C warmer than normal and almost a half degree higher than the previous warmest years in 2006 and 1998. For Montréal Québec, July 2018 was marked by another oppressive heat wave during the period July 1st to 8th. Recent climate abnormalities in Montréal have led to unforeseen casualties amongst the local population, evidently becoming a very contentious issue in Canada. During the week of July 1 to July 8, 2018, heat indexes soared over 37℃, resulting in over 90 deaths throughout the province, leading many to speculate direct cause behind these heat-related fatalities, and it has also prompted an investigation on how the region should intervene more rapidly during these increasingly recurrent extreme weather events. Thus, further investigation of intervention methods is needed to prevent further casualties throughout the region during increased climate abnormalities.
Proposed Solution
One possible solution to the issue of deaths from extreme heat events is to find ways for further increasing the ownership of household air conditioning systems and other forms of urban cooling to mitigate the urban heat island effect, especially in residential areas where the greatest amount of heat-related deaths is occurring.
Scope
In order to develop cogent, balanced, and well-supported recommendations, I plan to pursue the following areas of inquiry:
- What are the major problems associated with urban heat islands in relation to Montreal?
- How would implementing mitigation strategies in the development sector help improve the overall welfare of the City?
- What are the costs associated with this practice?
- What have other cities done to mitigate this issue?
Methods
For my primary data sources, I will be reaching out to experts and asking about their opinions on the matter and the kinds of solutions that they might have to offer in terms of remediating the issue. Some of the individuals I have found include:
- Tom Jackson – Councillor of the City of Hamilton. The City of Hamilton recently implemented a bylaw known as the “adequate heat bylaw” and I wanted to reach out to him to get some more information regarding this bylaw and incorporate it into my report as an example of what other cities in Canada are doing to deal with the heat.
- Tyler Hermanson – who is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designated home designer in Calgary, who indicated in a CBC article that if a house is well-built, then there should be no need for air conditioning. I found him on LinkedIn so I am going to reach out to him through that and since I live in Calgary I might even be able to meet with him to learn more about his work.
- Dr. Pierre Gosselin – who is head of the Quebec Public Health Institute’s Climate and Health Program, who has indicated that the issue of urban heat islands is a major public health problem in Quebec.
Secondary sources will include the results from a study regarding the health impacts of the July 2010 heat wave in Québec, statistical data retrieved from Environment and Climate Change Canada, news articles on heat waves in Montréal, as well as a review of several government issued reports such as the Climate Change Adaptation for the Montréal Urban Agglomeration 2015-2020 report issued by the City of Montréal and the Urban Heat Island Mitigation Strategies report issued by the National Institute of Public Health of Québec.
Qualifications
I have been following the issue of heat waves in Québec and the effects on the local population since the last two major heat events that took place in 2010 and 2018. I will receive my B.A. in geography this coming June of 2019. Thus, I am familiar with the merits of urban planning and development processes within cities and have firsthand experience conducting a research report on an unrelated development issue for Vernon’s city council to review. My skills in the field of geography provide me with the lens to adequately conduct an investigation on this issue in Montréal and provide a list of well-supported recommendations for the city council to consider.
Conclusion
Clearly, action is needed in the development sector to reduce the mortality rate in Montréal from oppressive heat conditions. By addressing the areas of inquiry listed earlier, I can develop cogent, balanced, and well-supported recommendations to advise the city council. With your approval, I will begin research at once.
References
Bustinza, R., Lebel, G. Gosselin, P., Bélanger, D., & Chebana, F. (2013). Health impacts of the July 2010 heat wave in Québec, Canada. BMC Public Health, 13(56). Retrieved from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1471-2458-13-56
City of Montréal. (2017). Climate change adaptation plan for the Montréal urban agglomeration 2015-2020: Summary Version 2017 Edition. Retrieved from http://ville.montreal.qc.ca
Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2010). Top ten weather stories for 2010: story four, Canada’s a “Hottie”!. Retrieved from http://ec.gc.ca
Institut national de santé publique du Québec (2009). Urban heat island mitigation strategies. Retrieved from www.inspq.qc.ca
Maslin, M. (2014). Climate change: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hello Dakota,
Thank you for your proposal. This is a well-organized document that addresses a serious issue that is certainly worthwhile investigating.
Problem: heat deaths
Solution: air-condition
Scope: I cannot see how your Scope of investigation covers the solution?
Methods: This is not primary data -> “ My primary data sources will include the results from a study regarding the health impacts of the July 2010 heat wave in Québec, as well as statistical data retrieved from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Primary data is data that has never been collected – you need to collect new data via surveys, observations, or interviews.
Please take a look at my concerns and alert me when you have re-focused your scope and methods to address your proposed solution and include primary data. Thank you.