Global warming is real, it’s happening—and it’s destroying us

With most tragedies, it’s easy to turn a blind eye until it affects us directly. For most people, organizations and government bodies, the climate crisis is one of those situations. We tend to ignore it and carry on with our lives because it doesn’t seem as pressing as our day-to-day matters.

But for the town of Lytton and surrounding areas in British Columbia, it’s impossible to ignore—and recent events urge the rest of the world to wake up and smell the smoke. In the midst of an intense heatwave, Lytton erupted into a wildfire and is almost completely destroyed, taking homes, businesses and even the lives of two people so far.

Lytton was at the epicentre of an unprecedented heat dome sweeping through Western Canada, with the village breaking a Canadian national heat record this past week reaching up to 49.6 degrees Celsius. Anyone who experienced this heatwave felt its effects—going outside was unbearable, like a furnace, schools shut down, businesses closed, air conditioners sold out, smoke filled the air.

The warm, dry conditions led to catastrophic wildfires in the forested areas of beautiful B.C. Residents of this region are unfortunately no strangers to wildfires and having to evacuate their homes, which approximately 1,000 people in Lytton had to do within a 15-minute time frame as the fire rapidly approached the town. B.C. wildfirePhoto by kerry rawlinson on Unsplash

These tragedies are not something we can stand by and passively allow to happen. Not when they're destroying towns and lives. Our planet’s temperature is soaring to uncontrollable levels, and Lytton became the latest victim of the climate crisis—and it won’t be the last.

We cannot ignore the effects of the climate crisis any longer. We feel them when we walk outside, we see them when we look at the scientifically proven facts, the residents of Lytton experience them as their entire lives went up in flames. We can’t wait any longer, and each and every single one of us must do our part to fight global warming. The present conditions of our planet are not sustainable, so we must change our lifestyles to find a path that is.

Here’s how you can help

In order to avoid lives, homes and habitats being lost, proactive measures are needed in the form of living more sustainably. Every choice we make must be with the environment in mind—from the purchases we make, to the way we dispose of our waste, to the energy we use, to the transportation we take, and the businesses and governments we support. There are countless resources available to better educate ourselves and act on climate change—right here at Environment 911 is a great place to start. We must use our voices and actions to push for an eco-friendlier future, now.

LyttonPhoto by FERESHTEH AZADI on UnsplashSupport Lytton

When looking at reactive measures to help ease the pain that has already been caused, the people of Lytton are the latest climate crisis victims who need our help. Tourism and hospitality organizations from the Fraser Valley are requesting donations, in coordination with Boston Bar First Nation/Tuckkwiowhum Village, to gather items and make deliveries.

Online monetary donations can be made via GoFundMe to Lytton Relief Fund.

Donations (from camping supplies, gift certificates, toiletries and more) are being welcomes at the below donation centres. Real-time updates can be found at thefraservalley.ca.

 Donation Centres

    • Tourism Hope, Cascades & Canyons
    • Visitor Centre, 919 Water Avenue, Hope
    • July 3 to 8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    Cash Only Donation Centres

    • Agassiz-Harrison Museum – Cash & Gift Card Donations Only
    • 7011 Pioneer Avenue, Agassiz
    • July 3 to 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    • Tourism Mission - Cash & Gift Card Donations Only
    • Visitor Centre, 34033 Lougheed Highway, Mission
    • July 5 to 9, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.