Eligible applicants without a B.C. Hydro account were unable to apply for the first three weeks of the program, one of many barriers advocates say makes the program inadequate to prevent heat-related deaths.
The announcement of free air conditioners for low-income and medically vulnerable British Columbians two years after a historic heat dome killed 619 people was welcome news for many who expected to benefit from the program – until they started the application process.
Extreme Heat Signals Need for Inclusive Climate Action nepalnational.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nepalnational.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Click to expand Image Waris Ali, 45, from Tahirpur, Sunamganj, with his daughter and grandchildren in his house located adjacent to the river. His son, Royis Miah, 21, who had an intellectual and physical disability, drowned in the flood water while attempting to use an outside toilet. The flood damaged Waris' entire house and he fears that his family would not survive another flood. 2022 T. Ahmad/Human Rights Watch As the Northern Hemisphere again experiences a surge in extreme heat, I wonder if this summer will be different from the last, which The New York Times described as a summer of climate disasters. In 2022, at least 15,000 people died from the effects of heat in Europe, June flooding in Pakistan killed 1,739 people, and flash floods in Bangladesh impacted 7.2 million people. Human Rights Watch has investigated how extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change impact people with disabilities and older people - two groups disproportionately affected during emergenci