Expert says Vancouver storm damage a climate change 'wake-up call'

The damage sustained to Vancouver’s scenic seawall during a fierce storm on Jan. 7 could be a sign of things to come as sea levels rise from climate change.

“We know that we are vulnerable,” Ian Stewart of the Vancouver Park Board told CTV National News. “We are looking at… long-term solutions.”

During a fierce Jan. 7 storm, high winds and extreme tides battered the popular Stanley Park Seawall, transforming sections into rubble. Littered with upturned and broken chunks of concrete and debris, much of it remains dangerous and off-limits to visitors, robbing the city of part of what is supposed to be the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path.

Experts say seaside cities like Vancouver are increasingly vulnerable as climate change causes ocean levels to rise.

“Our coastal infrastructure is designed assuming that the sea is stable,” Simon Fraser University earth sciences professor John Clague told CTV National News. “When you begin to elevate that surface, it begins to cause problems.”